


Caramel and Sugar

by SansyFresh



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Altered Mental States, Angst, Coercion, Comfort, Conditioning, Fluff, Graphic injuries, Hurt, M/M, No Smut, will get happier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-07-26 19:31:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 25,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7587052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh/pseuds/SansyFresh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know the story of how Underfell Sans escaped his horrible life and made a new life for himself in the alternate timeline known as Underswap. But what if it was Swapfell Papyrus? Broken and abandoned by the only family he knew, Papyrus finds himself in a weird reality, where he isn't treated like a pet and people genuinely care about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not your typical "Swapfell Papyrus actually loves the abuse." Papyrus is literally abused the same as we usually see Underfell Sans, with no love connection at all between the Swapfell brothers. But don't worry, Fell Papy is there to help!

“WORTHLESS, PATHETIC INGRATE!” Papyrus curled in on himself as his brother kicked him, three of his ribs already snapped in two. Papyrus would have begged for mercy had he not already been beaten in the face, nearly breaking his jaw. Two of his fingers were broken, three of his ribs snapped, and still his older brother was beating him, kicking him, all for something he couldn’t help. He had tried explaining to Sans that he could not help it if he fell asleep, because his body simply made him. It had been that way for years. And for years his brother had refused to listen to him, claiming it was all excuses to help him slack off. This wasn’t the first beating he had gotten for his offence, but his brother had never gone all out on him before.

“HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO DISAPPOINT ME LIKE THIS, YOU UGLY MUTT?! HOW MANY TIMES?” Sans jeered down at him, giving him one final kick to the knee-cap, causing Papyrus to scream as it cracked. He was broken, broken and in more pain than he had ever been, when he heard the words that would be the final nail in the coffin.

“DON’T BOTHER COMING HOME. YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER, AND YOU DESERVE IT IF SOMEONE DUSTS YOU. I HATE YOU.” Sans whispered down to him, spitting in his face. Now Papyrus cried, openly and unashamedly, as the only person he had ever known left him in the snow by his sentry station, alone and in the cold. Papyrus felt the heat of his tears on his face slowly ebb into frozen tracks along his cheekbones. He struggled to stand, heavily favoring his right leg, his arms wrapped tightly around his ribs. He could feel the red bone marrow dripping down his bones, making his torn shirt stick to his now filthy bones. He looked towards the direction of Snowdin, longing for the warmth of home. He no longer had a home, he reminded himself. For years he had convinced himself that Sans cared for him, loved him even, in his own way. So for as long as he could remember, he had taken the beatings, the humiliation, the breaks and fractures. He would do anything for his brother, all because he was convinced that Sans still loved him. Now he knew better. And it broke him more than any amount of snapped bones.

Tears still falling, albeit slowly, Papyrus turned to the woods, determination in his eyes. He had heard tales of monsters disappearing if they went far enough in the Snowdin woods. Maybe there was just a wayward group of killers, waiting for the next unsuspecting monster to come through. Either way, Papyrus had nothing left to do, so he walked, determined to find out. Arms clenched tightly at his sides, he hobbled along, eventually just dragging his right leg along. He had since stopped bleeding heavily, but his marrow still dripped evenly from his ribs and jaw. The forest was blackness around him, his ebbing magic lighting the way just enough to keep him from walking headfirst into any trees. 

 

After walking what felt like hours, the forest opened up abruptly, depositing Papyrus on a worn path, much like the one that lead from his sentry station to Snowdin. Papyrus looked around, confused. He recognized the area intimately. Hell, if he squinted, he could make out a little wooden station down the path. He had gone in a circle. Falling to his good knee, he flopped on his side, not even hissing at the pain he felt jar through him. He closed his eyes, letting the cold seep into his jacket and through his bones. Maybe it would be calming to fall down. Maybe his pain would go away. Maybe he would finally be happy. He had nearly drifted into the darkness as he felt large, strong arms lift him. Too far gone to care, he nuzzled into the warmth, letting himself get comfortable. He didn’t care if he dusted. He was finally free.

~.~

Papyrus winced as he awoke, all of the pain numbed by the cold back in full force. He felt around with his phalanges, a bit confused. Hadn’t he fallen asleep in the snow? Under him was a very plush bed, over him was what felt to be a covering of some kind. Had Sans done this? He doubted it. He never got special attention, not even when he was ill. Sitting up slowly, Papyrus grimaced and held his ribs, surprised to feel some form of sticky substance on them. Looking down, he could see some kind of green gel wrapped around his middle, holding his now intact ribs together. Now he was extremely confused. Who had done this? He didn’t know anyone other than his brother, and no one his brother ever mentioned seemed to be nice. Grunting in pain as he stood, he found another green bandage around his knee. Now that he was out of the bed, he could see that someone had changed his clothes. Instead of his torn orange shirt and black bone-tight pants, he was in a large orange hoody and a pair of large black shorts. He felt his breathing hitch. Someone had seen him, seen him naked, had taken his clothes and replaced them with new ones… Papyrus turned sharply as the door to the bedroom he was in swung open.

“Ah. You’re awake. Good.” Papyrus looked at the other in shock. Before him was a skeleton, with similar facial features and body structure as his own, but without the gold canine Papyrus sported. The other had on black and red armor and boots, much like his own Sans, and he looked gruff. Hissing in pain Papyrus fell to the floor, scooching back until he was in the corner of the room, cowering. The other rolled his eyes, walking in front of him. Papyrus yelped as his soul turned red, lifting him up and off the floor and back onto the bed. He still crawled back until he was nearly wedged between the wall and the mattress. Now the other looked exasperated.

“I’M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU, CALM DOWN.” Papyrus knew and order when he heard one, so he instantly calmed his breathing and sat to attention. The other’s eyes widened, and an unsettled look came over him.

“STAY THERE FOR A MOMENT.” The other commanded, leaving through the open door. Papyrus sat as he was told, but couldn’t keep himself from shaking. What the hell was going on?! He was nearly in a panicked state again when the other returned, Papyrus’ jacket in hand. Papyrus watched carefully as the other slowly walked over to him, holding it out to him. Papyrus watched, uncertain that if he attempted to grab it he wouldn’t be punished. His brother had done that more than once to him. When he didn’t go to grab it, the other sighed, wrapping it around Papyrus’ shoulders. Papyrus went stock still at the close proximity, and relaxed when the other pulled away.

“My name is Papyrus. I’m assuming yours is as well?” Papyrus nodded shakily.

“Well, you can just call me Fell, okay kid?” Papyrus nodded again. Fell frowned, but didn’t press him to talk. Papyrus knew if he talked it would hurt, so he didn’t dare. Yet another thing he as conditioned not to do; talking without a direct question given would result in punishment. That and his mandible still hurt. Fell glared down at him, then turned back towards the door.

“SANS, GET IN HERE. AND BRING THAT PLATE!” Now Papyrus was back in the corner, wrapped tightly into a ball. This was a friend of his brother’s they found him and were going to hurt him, were going to force him, were going to kill him…

Papyrus began screaming into his knees, trembling horrendously and sobbing. He heard Fell say something, but was screaming too loudly for him to understand. Soon, however, there were strong hands on him, and he lashed out kicking and clawing. Fell yelled something but it only spurred him on as he scrambled off the bed and into the only hiding space he could find; the closet. In hindsight it really didn’t make any sense, but it was the only thing his mind was able to comprehend in the moment. So he threw himself into the black closet and locked the door shut from the inside, huddling as far into the cramped closet as he could.

“Listen, Papyrus, we aren’t going to hurt you.” He heard Fell say gently outside of the door after trying to jiggle it open. Papyrus simply stayed where he was, crying into his hands. He heard another voice in the room, muffled through the door. Fell and the other voice had a conversation, and after a few minutes the other voice left.

“Sans is gone now, I swear on my soul I won’t harm you.” Papyrus listened to see if he could hear anyone else outside in the room, waiting to ambush him, but all he could hear was Fell. Standing to his feet, Papyrus took a deep breath and unlocked the door, opening it slowly. Fell, true to his word, was alone, standing with his arms crossed as he looked at Papyrus, with what seemed to be genuine concern on his face. Papyrus looked at the floor, wringing his hands.  
“Are you hungry?” Papyrus still didn’t look up as he nodded. Fell made a noise of assent and left the room, motioning for Papyrus to follow. Papyrus followed behind instantly, not wanting to upset what could very well be his new master. He walked into the kitchen behind Fell before settling on the floor on all fours, awkward but balanced on his feet instead of his knees, as his brother usually commanded. Fell didn’t seem to notice until he had started some kind of liquid in a large metal pot on the cook stove, when he turned to see if Papyrus had indeed followed him. He looked down in shock at Papyrus who grit his teeth in pain at the position he was in. He was never to be in the kitchen unless on all fours, so he had assumed it would be the same here. Fell did not look happy.

“Get up and get in a chair.” Papyrus stood more quickly than he should have at the bark from the other, nearly crashing into one of the wooden chairs that was situated near the wall, around the large wooden kitchen table. Fell stared at him, Papyrus keeping his eyes on the floor. He had never, ever sat at a table, always forced under it or away in a corner to eat like the mutt he was. Soon Fell turned back to the stove and Papyrus considered getting back in the floor. Being up in the chair was making him uncomfortable. He fidgeted in his seat as Fell placed a hot bowl of what looked to be soup in front of him. Papyrus looked at Fell, a question in his eyes. Fell, thinking the other wanted permission to eat, nodded. Papyrus sighed in relief and took the bowl in his hands before settling back on the floor in the corner, crossing his legs and drinking the soup without using the spoon. Fell looked down at him as he ate, but was soon distracted by a loud knock at the front door. Papyrus stayed where he was, perfectly content with sitting where he was and enjoying the best soup he had ever eaten. Unaware of the conversation that was about him commencing in the other room.

~.~  
Fell watched as the broken Papyrus had relief wash over his features as he sat back in the floor, slurping his soup noisily. Who had broken this kid? How much had he been through, that he behaved more like a dog than a monster? Watching a version of himself cower away into a corner like no more than a mongrel made his soul burn with rage. He wanted to torture whoever had hurt this kid. Fell was jerked out of his thoughts as he heard a bang at the front door. Sparing one more concerned look at Papyrus, Fell left the kitchen. Fell had some idea as to who Papyrus’ abuser was, if only by the violent reaction he had received when he called out his brother’s name. So Fell had sent Sans away to hang out in the alternate universe they frequented. Sans had promised to send back Swap, since it was obvious Fell was not the best caretaker in the world. He and Sans had taken leaps in the right direction as far as their relationship, but he still wasn’t particularly good for situations that required a softer hand.

Fell opened the door and pulled Swap in. The Swap brothers still weren’t used to Fell’s timeline, and Fell really didn’t feel like explaining to the Blueberry that his brother had dusted. Swap smiled at him, brushing snow off his hoody before looking past Fell and into the kitchen.

“I’ve got him in the kitchen eating soup. I had to make Red leave just to get him out of my closet.” Swap grinned at that, but still had a look of concern on his face.

“Why is he on the floor?” Fell looked back into the kitchen, where Papyrus was curled up on the floor, his now empty bowl on the table. Fell sighed, growling slightly.

“I believe he was conditioned to act like more of a pet than anything. He was on all fours as soon as we entered the kitchen, then got back in the floor after I gave him his soup, even though I told him to sit at the table.” Swap shuddered as he looked with pity towards Papyrus, who was sleeping heavily.

“You think it was his Sans?”

“If the reaction to me calling for him was any indication, then yes. You should have seen the amount of damage he had. Three of his ribs were only attached by his magic. I actually had to hold his jaw together in order to heal it.” Fell was getting quieter as he talked. Swap looked in horror at the Papyrus laying on the kitchen floor. Walking around Fell, Swap gently picked him up and laid him on the couch, covering him carefully with a blanket from upstairs.

“Don’t worry, we won’t let him hurt you again.”


	2. Long Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brief mention of past rape. No details. Still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, thank you for the overwhelming support so far. You guys make me wanna cry! It may not seem like much, but I appreciate all of you peeps! So, just a general thing, his recovery is no where near complete. I'm not that bad of a writer. Also, I thought of an ending! And, uh...while I had one or two really sad ones in my head, I promise this won't end on a sad note. Not that we're anywhere close to being done! Anywyas, enjoy!

“WORTHLESS MUTT…CAN’T EVEN PLEASE YOUR LORD CORRECTLY…”

~.~

Papyrus woke up screaming, the pain of his brother forcing himself on him lingering. Crying from the memory, Papyrus ran to the door he knew lead to the bathroom, slamming it shut behind him. Stripping to only the black shorts he wore, Papyrus turned the shower on, heat all the way up, and settled in the floor of the tub, letting the scalding water wash away the feeling of dirt he felt clinging to his bones. He sobbed into his knees, whimpering and whining at the complete and utter disgust he felt. He was dirty, a mutt, no better than dust on his brother’s boot…

“Papyrus?” Papyrus just held himself tighter, his longs arms wrapped around his knees. He didn’t react when Fell turned the water off, or when the other gently picked him up, carrying him upstairs. Once they were in the bedroom Papyrus had awoken in the day before, he let himself be dried off, Fell being careful when toweling off the bones around his ribs and knee. Papyrus let himself be redressed and placed gently into the bed, staring at anywhere but Fell. Once Fell had pulled the covering up to his chin, he put his hand under Papyrus’ skull, making him look up at the other skeleton.

“We are never going to hurt you. You never have to go back to him. And when you want to talk about it, you can.” Fell spoke quietly, a hint of actual care in his voice. Papyrus didn’t know what to think, so he simply nodded before looking away again. Fell clanked his skull, then left, leaving him in the darkness of the room. Papyrus stared at the wall, the dirty feeling still lingering, but trying to figure out what his new master meant. Did he really care about him? No, he surely didn’t. He just didn’t want Papyrus hurting himself. With that thought in his mind, Papyrus slipped again into sleep, the feeling of disgust gradually becoming one of comfort.

~.~  
“Wake up, kid.” Papyrus felt his eyes groggily open of their own accord. He would have much rather ignored the voice and gone back to sleep, but his body knew better. Once his vision focused in he saw Fell above him, some kind of tray in his hands. Fell stepped back so Papyrus could sit up, before sitting on the edge of the bed. A bowl of a strange yellow substance, along with what appeared to be a glass of milk laid out on the tray. There was also a thermometer and a wet rag.

“Eat, and then we’ll tend to your wounds.” Papyrus nodded, grabbing the bowl and using the fork he was given to eat the yellow food. He had never had anything like it…it had a strange texture and seemed to be a bit salty. Fell must have seen the question on his face, because he laughed gently.

“Never had scrambled eggs before?” Papyrus stared at the “eggs” before him and shook his head. Most of his meals consisted of soup or bread, with his brother only occasionally giving him some of the food he cooked for himself. Not that Papyrus cared. Food was food. Once he was finished with the eggs, Fell handed him the milk, which Papyrus gulped down greedily. Milk was a treat, only given to him when he was sick. Once that was gone Fell took the glass and set both it and the bowl to the side, grabbing the thermometer. Fell tapped the end of the thermometer to Papyrus’ teeth, and Papyrus opened immediately, forming a tongue for it to rest under. While they waited for the tell-tale beep, Fell cleaned his now healed jaw and fingers before unwrapping his ribs carefully. Papyrus hissed as he gently rubbed the rag against his still tender ribs, and was relieved when the bandage was back on. Something about it made his pain seem a bit distant.

“Well, you don’t have a fever, despite bleeding out in the cold.” Fell said gruffly once the thermometer had beeped. Papyrus nodded. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he wished he had dusted or not. Fell stared at him for a moment, seemingly thinking on what he was going to say next.

“I had a friend come over. He is a Papyrus, like me and you, and I swear he won’t hurt you.” Papyrus looked up at his master in fear, but nodded when he understood what the other was trying to ask. Fell smiled to him consolingly, then grabbed up the bowl and cup, setting them back on the tray.

“Let’s go meet him then.”

~.~

Swap waited with baited breath as Fell disappeared into the room where the broken Papyrus was sleeping. Swap was anxious to try and help the kid out as much as he possibly could, but was nervous. He remembered what Red had been like when he first met him; from what Fell said this kid was worse off. He and Fell had both awoken when the kid had started screaming and fled into the bathroom, the sound of the shower soon following. Fell had been the one to go and retrieve him, putting him back in bed. He had surprised Swap with his gentleness. He knew he and Red had bettered their relationship, in major ways, but Fell could still be a major ass.

Swap looked up when he heard the door open again, revealing Fell and the kid, his eyes on the floor as he followed Fell down the stairs. Swap stayed where he was, afraid that if he got up the kid would get freaked out. Fell told Papyrus to stay in the living room before continuing to the kitchen, washing up the dishes he had taken upstairs. When he was done Swap watched him return, sitting beside him on the couch. Papyrus seemed to be at a loss on what he supposed to do, so he sat in the floor, his knees up by his chest as he stared at Swap.

“Papyrus, this is Swap.” Swap waved lazily, giving the kid a big smile. Papyrus’ mouth didn’t so much as twitch. Swap swallowed awkwardly, before patting the couch between him and Fell.

“Would you rather sit up here?” Papyrus shook his head almost comically fast. “Does it make you uncomfortable?” Papyrus paused, then nodded, looking down at his feet. “You can talk if you want to, you know. No one here is going to hurt you. You aren’t anyone’s pet.” Papyrus seemed to stiffen up at that. It hurt Swap’s heart, but he knew that the worst thing him and Fell could do would be to keep up a charade pretending like they were his owners. His recovery from years of abuse and neglect would be a long process, but Swap was willing to be as patient as long as it took. He knew Fell felt the same way. But, the start towards that recovery was reminding Papyrus that he wasn’t a dog, and that he wasn’t worthless.

~.~

Papyrus felt his soul stop in his chest at the other’s words. He wasn’t a pet? He thought...he thought Fell was his new master? Surely he meant to be?

“You look as though you have something to ask.” Fell said, perceptive as always. Papyrus shook a little before opening his mouth.

“I…I thought I was Fell’s pet?” Papyrus whispered. Both of the other skeleton’s faces scrunched up immediately and Papyrus shook in terror.

“I’m sorry! I’m s-sorry! P-please d-don’t hurt m-me! P-please don’t b-be mad!” he begged, putting his head between his knees and trembling, waiting for the punishment that was sure to come his way. Instead, all he felt was two pairs of arms wrapping around him tightly. Papyrus gasped, lifting his head. Both Swap and Fell were on the floor with him, hugging him tightly. Why? He wasn’t worth it, they didn’t love him, they couldn’t love him…

Papyrus broke down in their arms, hugging them both tightly. The calming waves of love he felt emanating from both of their souls warmed his own and he held them tightly in his arms. He may be punished for this later, but at the moment he couldn’t care less. For the first time in his life he felt comfort at someone being so close to him, so he soaked up the feeling for as long as he could. Once his sobs had quieted down, he felt Fell pull away, cupping his face with his fingers.

“I am not your master, owner, or lord, Papyrus. I am your friend, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you are never hurt again. Okay?” The words sent spike of happiness into Papyrus soul, as he collapsed into Fell’s arms, crying heavily once again. As he sobbed into Fell’s chest, he held Swap tightly as well, feeling the love coming from his soul as well. It was overwhelming, this sudden change in Papyrus’ soul; it felt so good it hurt. In that moment Papyrus felt something he had not felt since he was a baby bones. He felt loved. He felt free. And he felt safe.


	3. Honey and Spaghetti

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So..I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH T_T I've never gotten this much positive reactions on a story before! Ever! So, here's another chapter, mostly fluff, a little angst...yeah. Enjoy!

Once Papyrus had calmed down he let them both go from the tight grip he held them in, a bit shocked at his own actions. They hadn’t seemed to mind it, but once Fell and Swap were back on their feet, they both looked upset still. Papyrus gazed at the floor, the love he had been overwhelmed with gone and replaced with a stinging emptiness. Surely he had simply feeling the other’s care that their property didn’t fall down in fear. They couldn’t have their pet if he fell from fright. They couldn’t love him, or care for him, not really. But the fact that they might care whether he dusted or not was enough for him.

“Well, I have to go to work. Swap will protect you while I’m gone, okay?” Papyrus looked up at Fell, trying to not show the other how truly scared he was. Fell may not consider him his pet, but Fell was his master, and he’d do anything he could to please him.

“Yes, Fell.” Fell smiled and caressed his head, kneeling down on his level to do it. Papyrus leaned into the touch, and held back a whine when the other pulled away and left, locking the front door behind him. Papyrus stared at the door for a few minutes, trying to not upset Swap by appearing scared. They didn’t seem to like it when he was scared.

“Are you sure you aren’t comfortable sitting up here?” Papyrus jolted when Swap spoke from the couch, leaning towards him. Papyrus shook his head emphatically, looking down again.

“Whelp, looks like I’m joining you, then.” Papyrus looked up again, a bit shocked when Swap got up and sat in the floor, on Papyrus’ level, leaning against the couch. He watched as the other pulled a bottle from his hoody pocket and began chugging whatever liquid was inside. Papyrus looked away as soon as the other was done, not wishing to get caught staring.

“You ever had honey?” Papyrus looked up tensely, shaking his head. Swap chuckled, holding the bottle out to him. Papyrus took it gently and slowly, waiting for the other to hit it out of his hands. “You suck on it.” Swap said quietly, sensing his confusion. Papyrus nodded, looking down at the bottle with his browbones scrunched up in concentration. Putting the end of the bottle in his mouth as he had seen Swap do, he suckled on it, a bit put off as nothing happened for a few seconds. Then, there was something heavy and sticky in his mouth and his eyes widened in pleasure. He drank the honey eagerly, savoring the sweet, syrupy goodness that had made a home on his tongue. His face must have shown his pleasure, because Swap began laughing heartily, holding his ribs. Papyrus paid him no mind, finishing off what honey there was in the bottle before gingerly handing it back. Swap wiped away a tear in his eyesocket as he put the now empty bottle back in his pocket.

“Never eaten anything like that before?” To Swap’s surprise, Papyrus answered.

“No, it was really good. Thank you.” Swap watched as Papyrus flinched at his own words, as though he going to be reprimanded for talking. Swap frowned.

“It’s okay if you talk. I’d actually prefer it if you did.” Swap felt bad playing the guilt card, but he had to get the guy to open up, even if on his own terms.

“Okay.” Swap smiled at Papyrus, who actually continued to look at him, but didn’t smile in return. Baby steps, baby steps.

“What all did you eat where you used to live?”

“Um…soup? And bread. And water.” Swap frowned. Was this kid living on just those things? And how actually nutritional were they?

“What was in the soup?” Papyrus thought for a moment before answering.

“It was mostly…water? And small chunks of potato.” Swap growled inwardly. Someone, assumed to be this kid’s Sans, had him living on the barest of nutrients to survive day to day life. Swap wouldn’t let his anger show outwardly, but couldn’t repress the homicidal urge he felt for this Papyrus’ Sans. Who could treat their own brother like a dog? Only feed him what it would take to not dust in the night? Sighing, Swap stood up, walking into the kitchen.

“Welp, come one then. Gotta get some meat on those bones!” Swap chuckled at his own lame pun, watching Papyrus follow him, settling on the floor as usual. Though, as he sat, Swap caught the faintest of smiles on the kid’s face. It wasn’t a full smile, or even a smirk. But it was something. Swap would take it. Smiling to himself, he looked through the Fell brother’s cupboards and fridge. Spaghetti it was.

~.~

Fell came home to the smell of fresh made spaghetti and the near amusing sight of Swap and Papyrus sitting in the floor, eating the steaming noodles.  
“Hey kid. Swap nice to you while I was gone?” Fell asked as he walked past them slowly, grabbing his own plate and filling it before settling down with them. Papyrus looked up at him and nodded, seeming to immensely enjoy his food. Fell smiled and dug in.

“Swap, did you make this?” Fell asked, a bit shocked. He didn’t even know the other could cook. Swap laughed, coughing a bit on the mouthful of spaghetti he was currently working on before nodding. Fell hummed his praise, eating quietly. Swap was finished before the other two, so he decided to bring Fell up to speed.

“You know, Papy here has never had spaghetti before? Or honey, but I already had him try that earlier.” Fell looked at Swap and caught the subtext in his words. Papyrus had never had spaghetti before because he didn’t get a whole lot of anything before. Fell huffed.

“Well, he’s getting it now. And you shouldn’t give him honey. It’s not good for him.” Swap laughed.

“What, is it too sticky for you? Besides, I’m pretty sure he liked it. I could feel it in my bones.” Fell groaned, and was shocked to see the small twinge on Papyrus face. Swap noticed as well and smiled deviously.

“Hey Fell, I didn’t think you’d like my spaghetti, tibia honest. You’ve never had the stomach for my cooking before.” Fell groaned again, struggling to keep his face set in a scowl.

“That’s because I’ve never tried your cooking before, idiot.” Swap laughed, nodding. Fell noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Papyrus was also struggling not to smile. Swap noticed as well, and continued.

“Aw, c’mon Fell. You know my puns are rib-tickling. Fell groaned again, but saw that Papyrus was now smiling, though he looked like he was still trying not to laugh.

“I mean, you gotta admit, I’m a bone-ified comedian over here!” Fell growled but smiled as he heard Papyrus chuckle softly.

“No bones about it, I’m a pretty punny guy!” Now Papyrus snorted, laughing out loud. Swap began to laugh with him, Fell simply smiling as he set down his now empty plate. Papyrus laughed long and hard, beginning to cry a little. When he finally calmed down, he looked a little forlorn. Did he think they were going to punish him for laughing? The thought made Fell smile.

“Don’t look so down kid, we aren’t going to pun-ish you for laughing.” Swap looked up at him, shocked. Papyrus did as well.

“Did he just…” Papyrus whispered.

“He did.” Swap answered. Fell laughed loudly at the looks on their faces before making Swap help him clean up. When they were done Fell directed all three of them into the living room, all of them sitting on the floor in front of the couch.

“Let’s watch some Mettaton until it gets late. Nowhere near time for bed just yet.” Swap shrugged, pulling a cig out of his pocket. Papyrus nodded before curling up on the floor, his head positioned so that he could still see the T.V. They all watched in silence until Fell and Swap heard light snores. They both looked down and found that Papyrus had nodded off, completely curled in on himself. Fell chuckled and got on his knees, picking the kid up carefully and laying him out on the couch, covering him with the sheets from the night before. Then he and Swap watched the gory television in a comfortable silence, the thought of Papyrus laughing fresh in their minds. Hope filled the both of them as they listened to Papyrus snore. They would protect him, with their lives if they had too. The poor thing deserved as much.


	4. Chocolate and Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter...ye. Enjoy!

Papyrus awoke to the clashing of pots and pans in the kitchen, obvious signs that his brother had started breakfast. But why could he hear them so clearly? He sat up, rubbing his face and pulling away from the covers, only to realize where he was with a bit of a jolt. He yelped, falling off the forbidden couch and onto the floor. Pets weren’t allowed on the couch, he was going to be punished, please, please no more pain…

“Papyrus, are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?” Papyrus jerked up at the calm, almost lazy voice that drifted down to him. There was Swap, kneeling on the ground and holding his shoulder with one hand, the concern on his face etched across his features deeply. The memories of where he was and who he was with flooded his mind, and he laid back on the floor, sighing in relief as he stared at the ceiling. Remembering that the other had asked him a question, he looked Swap in the eye.

“No. I didn’t, I’m sorry if I woke you…” Papyrus looked back towards the ceiling, trying to calm himself. He felt Swap squeeze his shoulder gently before letting go.

“You didn’t, don’t worry about it. And if you ever wanna talk about the nightmares, I’m here for you. I get them too, sometimes.” Papyrus looked at the relaxed skeleton in shock. He did? But…he seemed so happy… Papyrus was interrupted in his thoughts by a stern voice form the kitchen.

“Come on, you two. Breakfast is ready.” Fell called out, sticking his head out to look at the two lazybones on the floor. Swap stood and offered Papyrus a hand up, which he took after a moment’s hesitation. When they were both seated in the floor, Fell handed them down plate of more “eggs” and what looked like a type of meat Papyrus’ brother enjoyed on occasion.

“That’s bacon. It’s really good.” Swap told him, munching on his own strip of the meat. Papyrus waited until Fell sat down to begun eating, taking the small strip of “bacon” and nibbling off a piece. His first impression was nothing but salt, and he cringed. But taking a slightly larger bite, he tasted smoke, along with a distinct buttery-ness that combated the salt, making it all like heaven in his mouth. Once he had finished the bacon and the eggs, he gulped down the glass of milk Fell had given him and politely handed Fell his dirty dishes.

“I’m going to work; Swap is going to reassess your wounds while I’m gone. He’s a more adept healer than I am.” Papyrus nodded, following Swap and Fell into the living room. Fell smiled to him before leaving, locking the door.  
“Welp. No time like the present. You mind sitting on the kitchen table for this? I promise I won’t hurt you in any way.” Swap was looking at him with a calm, almost lazy expression, when his eyes lit up. 

“Oh! And I snagged you this.” Papyrus watched as Swap dug around in his pockets, pulling out what seemed to be a bar of metal foil. He took it gingerly, tearing at the foil and revealing something dark brown and solid.

“It’s chocolate. You really seemed to like the honey, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to get you some other sugary stuff.” Swap smiled before heading into the kitchen. Papyrus followed, hopping up in the table without a second thought. He was too focused on the dark brown bar he held. As Swap got some tools ready that he had brought just for this occasion, Papyrus took a small nibble of the “chocolate”. Oh…oh stars…this was even better than the honey. Papyrus let the flavor sit on his conjured tongue, the sweet rich flavor melting into his mouth. His eyes must have shut in ecstasy, because they next thing he knew they popped back open, Swap smiling at him, looking amused.

“Enjoy that? I’ll have to get you a milkshake some time.” Papyrus could only nod as he took another large bite of the chocolate, letting each and every bite he took melt on his tongue before he took another. Once he was done he gratefully took the glass of cool water Swap offered him, not realizing how the sweet substance had affected him until he was done. Once he had chugged the water, Swap chuckled, taking the glass and filling it again before standing in front of him and handing it back to him.

“Can you take of the jacket and the hoody? I need access to your soul so I can check your magic.” 

And that’s when Papyrus stiffened in his place, bones rattling, jaw clenched, and sockets wide black holes.


	5. Lasagna and Soul Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...ah...ye. Enjoy!

Swap noticed the moment the words came out of his mouth Papyrus tensed up, both of his eyelights gone. Swap moved quickly, grabbing the shaking glass of water and taking Papyrus into his arms, rubbing his back tenderly.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to do that. I can check everything I need to without summoning your soul. It’s okay, I promise.” Swap murmured, slowly and gently. He didn’t pull away until Papyrus stopped shaking and shivering, standing back to see Papyrus breathing in slowly and methodically, trying to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry…” Papyrus mumbled, holding his chest and refusing to look at Swap. Swap sighed, then slowly put his hand on Papyrus shoulder.

“It’s okay, you aren’t in trouble, I promise. I should have asked if you were comfortable with it first. Do you want to tell me what happened?” Swap flinched inwardly at the look of pain on Papyrus’ face, and was about to let him know he didn’t have to say anything when Papyrus spoke up.

“It was M’Lor…Sans. My…my brother.” Papyrus corrected himself. Swap was a bit sickened by the words. And he thought Red calling Fell Boss was bad. M’lord? Really? Did his Sans have any sense of humility at all? Swap shuddered.

“He…he needed to punish me for trying to get away when he was pleasuring himself, so he…he scratched my soul and made the wound stay for a week before he allowed me to heal it.” Now Swap thought he might actually throw up. Papyrus had such a look of discomfort on his face it looked like he was reliving what must have been a horrific haze of pure pain. And he had to endure that for a week? It was a wonder the kid wasn’t dead.

“I’m so sorry, Paps. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Swap whispered, holding Papyrus’ shoulder’s gently, rubbing his thumbs into Papyrus’ scapula. Papyrus just shrugged before pulling off his jacket and hoody so Swap could check his ribs. 

 

~.~

Fell came home a bit later than usual that evening, his hands full of bags. Swap didn’t seem too keen on getting up to help him, so Fell grumbled as he walked into the kitchen, nearly breaking the glass jars of spaghetti sauce he had acquired when he set the bags down.

“Is there any possible way you could give me a hand in here, you lazy bastard?” Fell started when something hit the back of his head, clattering to the floor. Recognizing the sound of bones against the wood flooring he looked down and went into a rage as he saw Swap’s hand laying on the floor.

“REALLY?!” he roared, trying not to smirk as he turned to see Papyrus and Swap sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Papyrus’ hands over his mouth in an attempt to keep himself from laughing. Fell picked the hand up and threw it back, conking Swap in the head with it. Swap burst into laughter, clutching his sides and leaning on the floor. Papyrus just stared at him with a bewildered smile on his face, before he looked up at Fell.

“Do you need help, Fell?” Fell was smirking and trying his hardest not to outright chuckle at the whole thing, relieved when the kid changed the subject.

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind.” Fell turned back to the kitchen and started un-bagging items, setting them all on the table to be sorted through later. Papyrus joined him and helped him put everything up, once Fell showed him where everything went. Papyrus seemed keen to help, so Fell gave a half-hearted glare at Swap before asking Papyrus if he wanted to help him cook. Papyrus seemed taken aback.

“Me? I…I mean, Sans never let me…” Fell stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“He is no longer in your life, Papyrus. You aren’t going to get in trouble for helping me cook.” Fell gave him the warmest smile he could muster before grabbing ingredients.

“Since you had never tried spaghetti, I reasoned you have not had much experience in the world of pasta. So, I took the liberty of getting things to make lasagna. Would that be acceptable?” Papyrus seemed lost for words, and simply nodded. Fell nodded back and got out his signature glass lasagna dish, and proceeded to help Papyrus make his favorite meal.

~.~

“You say Paps made this?”

“Yes, I simply observed and helped out when needed.” Swap gave Papyrus a bright smile, nearly inhaling the food he was presented with by a very proud Papyrus. All of them were in their usual spots on the kitchen floor, with Fell commenting again and again how much of a natural Papyrus was at cooking. Papyrus was in a near permanent blush, a light orange dusted across his cheek bones. He didn’t really know what to make of all the praise, but was extremely pleased with himself since his two…friends were happy with his cooking. 

Honestly, Papyrus wasn’t sure how he saw them anymore. He still felt as though he should consider Fell to be his master, but Fell seemed insistent that he wasn’t. He still felt like the two skeletons were more to him than friends, but he didn’t want to call them brothers. Not if what brother meant was what he had experienced before with his own brother. No, he thought of them more like…parental figures. The thought struck him suddenly, and he stopped eating as he mulled over it. He saw Fell and Swap as father figures to him. Swap was kind and gentle, always there to make him laugh. Fell was strong and firm, always willing to have Papyrus try new things. And both of them showed him more love than he had felt in years. He still had the nagging thought at the back of his mind that they couldn’t really care. They didn’t really love him. But…just the thought that they might made him push the thoughts away. He might regret it later when they turned on him…but he would simply enjoy the moment and scar every detail into his memory. Then it wouldn’t matter. He would still be happy, knowing that, in some way, they did care for him.


	6. Fear and Happiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ye...so...about that there plot twist...heh. Enjoy!

Papyrus was asleep on the couch as Fell and Swap cleaned up the supper dishes, both of them quiet but thinking pretty hard.

“I think he needs more interaction than just us.” Fell started, scrubbing harshly at his glass lasagna dish. Swap frowned, drying off the plates Fell had already rinsed off.

“Are you sure he’s ready for that? I mean, he seems kinda…”

“Yes, I know. But I’m sure. We’ll be there for him. And he really needs to get away from this Universe. The atmosphere can’t be good for him.” Swap paused in his drying, looking at Fell, who was now pretty much demolishing his pan.

“It’s so cute how much you care about him. Like you’re his dad or something.” Fell let out an undignified squawk, glaring at Swap when he was sure he hadn’t awoken Papyrus.

“So what? Am I not allowed to show concern for someone who is basically me if my brother tortured me my whole life?” Swap laughed at his reaction, smiling softly.

“I’m not teasing you, Fell. I just find it cute that you care this much. I care about him too, ya know.” Swap went back to drying, frowning slightly. Fell sighed and rinsed off the glass pan, setting it down for Swap to dry.

“Do you think we should move him then?” Fell asked, leaning back on the sink, looking at the floor with his arms crossed lightly. Swap thought for a moment before answering.

“Yeah, but I really don’t think we should take him to my universe just yet. If you hadn’t noticed, this Papyrus is a lot like Red, which could very well mean his brother looks a lot like Blue.” Fell grimaced, the thought of a cruel, evil Blue in his head.

“Where do you suggest then?”

“How’s your relationship with Sans Classic?”

 

~.~

Papyrus was a bit confused when Fell and Swap told him they were going to go live somewhere else for a while, but didn’t say anything. Not that he minded, just the idea of him leaving the house at all made him a little sick to his gut. But, when Fell and Swap had packed a few bags, Papyrus stood and joined them, walking out of the front door and behind the house, to a hidden door. Papyrus knew about the machine in his own universe, not that Sans would let him anywhere near it. So when he saw an identical one looking in really good condition, Papyrus couldn’t help himself. He gasped, walking up to the shiny metal of the machine and touching it gently. He heard a low chuckle behind him and he pulled away immediately, hanging his head a little. He watched as Swap pressed buttons on a computer, watching the screen as the machine started up. Swap nodded to Fell that it was ready, so Fell opened the door, pulling their bags inside and motioning for Papyrus to join him. Slightly confused, Papyrus did as told, sitting quietly. Swap soon got in as well, and the space was a little tight.

“Close your eyes, Papyrus.” Fell said quietly as the machine began to rumble and rattle. Scared, Papyrus did as he was told, scrunching into a bit of a ball. Soon the shaking stopped and he felt Swap move, getting up and unlocking the door, letting in some light. The three skeletons piled out, and Papyrus squinted, rubbing his arms as he shakily got to his feet. Fell and Swap immediately grabbed their bags and headed out into the shed that housed the machine, dust and papers everywhere. Fell looked around in disgust, noticing that Papyrus wasn’t following.

“It is okay, Papyrus. We’re in a safe place now.” Papyrus nodded, holding his arms and walking quickly to catch up with them. Fell smiled and nodded for Swap to continue. Swap opened the shed door, holding it open until Fell and Papyrus were through. Papyrus stopped in his tracks, shock written all over his features.

There wasn’t any snow on the ground. There was green, as far as he could see, disrupted only by the grayish brown trunks of towering trees, full of green life swaying gently in the wind. Papyrus took a deep breath, the scent of the evening air rich in his skull. He knelt down to touch the plush carpet below him and almost giggled at how soft it was, the individual blades swaying back and forth. Papyrus sat, overwhelmed by all this. This wasn’t Snowdin. Or Waterfall, or Hotland.

“Wh-where are we? Where in the U-underground are we?” Papyrus turned as he heard a chuckle behind him, Fell and Swap smiling as they sat beside him.

“We aren’t in the Underground.” Papyrus gasped. That meant…

“Welcome to the Surface.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry if this is too fast or if it isn't good...ugh...*flops on the floor*


	7. Pranks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys....just...look at this utter display of cool:
> 
> https://queenofbiscuits.tumblr.com/post/159825723309/nsfwsinningsans-fanart-commission-of-caramel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, this one was fun :D Enjoy!

Papyrus didn’t know how long he sat there. He eventually gathered the courage to look up, and the wide expanse of nothing but blue almost hurt to look at. It just…seemed to never end. He didn’t think he would ever see anything as beautiful as that ever again. Fell and Swap had sat with him for a while, before another Papyrus showed up, calling himself Tale. Papyrus thought he was kind of loud, but after being around Fell and Swap, he was used to the idea of there being more than one of him running around. Eventually the three of them had gone inside to put things up and make supper, leaving Papyrus outside by himself to enjoy…what was it? Nature. Hmmm, he liked that word.

Papyrus took a deep breath on laid on his back, his phalanges making slow, random patterns on the “grass”, his sockets closed as he breathed in the wonderful breeze that chilled his bones, but in a nice way. Like more of a kiss of cold, than a smack in the face. He heard someone lay beside him, but didn’t open his eyes.

“It’s nice, isn’t it? Beautiful day.” Papyrus simply nodded, until he caught the undeniable rasp in the other’s voice. His eyes opened slowly, but he was so at peace he didn’t feel afraid. He turned his head and found to white eyelights peering back at him, an easy going smile on the other’s face. On Sans face. Because there was no doubt in his mind this creature was a Sans. He felt a flash of terror rip through him and he began to tremble, scooting away and getting up on his knees, clenching his eyes shut.

Fell and Swap cared about him. They would not bring him to his brother. He had multiples of himself. There was another Papyrus here. This was not his brother, but the other Papyrus’. 

Taking deep breaths, Papyrus opened his eyes and found that the Sans had sat up as well, a look of concern on his face.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.” He said, putting his hands up in a placating measure. Papyrus nodded, pinching his brow.

“No, I know…its just…you…”

 

“Look like him. I know. Fell told me.” Papyrus nodded again, putting his hands in his lap and stared at the other, really taking in his appearance. He had a softer appearance than his Sans, his bones not as pronounced. His smile showed dull, unsharpened teeth, and wasn’t a permanent sneer. Papyrus shook the sudden memory of his brother out of his head, standing to his feet, the Sans mirroring his actions.

“Well, suppers just about done, and I think they actually worked well together for once. Wanna head inside?” Papyrus nodded, and flinched a little when the Sans put his hand out. He didn’t move it, seeming to expect Papyrus to do something. Papyrus stared at the outstretched hand, then at Sans face. Sans raised an eyebrow and gestured gently with his hand.

“Um…what do you want me to do?” Sans looked a little surprised, but shook it off, smiling in a lazy way.

“You shake it with your hand.” Papyrus looked down at his own hand, then put it out, taking a hold of Sans hand carefully. Sans squeezed a little, a loud, obnoxious sound blasting from their joined hands. Papyrus pulled his hand back like he had burned it, his eyes wide. Sans began laughing, a loud deep laughter that bounced of the trees they were surrounded by. Papyrus tilted his head, a small confused smile on his face.

“Heh, heh, I tell you what that was some other time. Whoo, haven’t gotten to laugh like that in a while. C’mon, they’ll be waiting.” Sans smiled kindly at him before walking slowly back up to the house, Papyrus smiling the tiniest smile while following.

~.~

The three other Papyruses had indeed worked together, each putting their own spin on what looked like the biggest meal Papyrus had ever seen. He didn’t want to hurt their feeling or make them angry, but he really didn’t think he’d be able to eat everything they put on the plate they gave him. Once everyone had their plates, Papyrus sat in the floor, Fell and Swap joining him in the pattern they had adopted. To his surprise, the new Papyrus and Sans also joined them without a second though, sitting in front of the three of them. Papyrus looked behind him; yes, they had a dinner table. With enough room for the four of them, excluding Papyrus. Papyrus shook his head; they must have their reasons. But Fell saw his little crisis.

“What is it, Papyrus?” Papyrus flinched. He…didn’t want to make them angry with questions. So he shook his head. Fell sighed, putting down his plate.

“Its okay, Papyrus. You can tell us what’s wrong.” Papyrus looked up at him, then scrunched in on himself a little, looking back down at his own plate.

“I just…don’t understand why you aren’t using the table.” Fell stared at him, before looking back at the dining table and chuckled.

“We aren’t eating at the table because you aren’t comfortable eating there yet.”

“We want to eat with you, kid. So the floor it is until you feel comfortable enough in a seat.” Swap continued, munching on a hotdog. Papyrus thought over this, his eyes narrowed.

“Why are they eating down here then? It’s their house, they shouldn’t be in the floor.” Papyrus barely whispered. Sans chuckled.

“Neither should you, kid. But, like Swap said, we are going to eat wherever you are comfortable eating. You’re basically family now. Don’t want family to feel bad.” Papyrus looked Sans in the eye for any sign of falsehood. All he saw was kindness behind a sheen of lazy. The other Papyrus started talking loudly about all the things they could do the next day and Papyrus tuned him out, content to let them plan everything. Not that he usually had a choice in the matter of what he did anyways, but he didn’t feel like they would make him go anywhere he didn’t want to.

~.~

Fell noticed Papyrus slowdown in his eating about half way through and nodded to himself. He wasn’t used to getting so much, and probably wouldn’t have said anything. So, when everyone else was done he took his plate, smiling that he understood. Papyrus sat with Sans and Stretch, the two lazybones punning to their hearts content, seeing how long it would be before they could get Papyrus to laugh. It didn’t take as long as before until the kid was in the floor clutching his ribs, giggling like a child. Fell smiled as he washed the dishes with Tale, for once not minding the infernal puns his double and his brother’s double seemed obsessed with. Tale was pretending to be fuming, but Fell could see the slight upturn of his smile. 

Sans soon stood up, deciding to go bug his brother from a closer distance. Tale was having none of it.

“Hey, Pap. What was it Tori wanted us to try?”

“Sans, no.”

“Sans, yes. What was it?”

“I’m not gracing you with a response, Sans.” Sans snapped his fingers, a mischievous look on his face.

“Oh, yeah! She wanted us to get some bone china for tea!” Sans began laughing at the look of pure murder on his face, his eyes crinkled shut. Tale and Fell were both groaning, their hands on their face. Swap was laughing his guts out at the decidedly bad joke. No one was looking at Papyrus, whose face had gone blank when Sans snapped his fingers. 

He stood, blipping immediately to Sans side, grabbing him up carefully but with a strength that surprised Sans into not flailing right away. Papyrus then blipped to the living room, pulling a large bone shield around the two of them, his eyes glowing a very bright orange. Sans shook in his grasp, the waves of murderous intent coming off Papyrus’ soul were palpable. All the other Papyrus’ were shocked for a moment, giving Papyrus enough time to summon three gaster blasters, all directly targeted. Sans fought now, shaking and yelling at Papyrus, who wouldn’t even look down.

“Papyrus, stand down! Stop! Don’t do this, please!” Sans cried, trying his hardest to break Papyrus out of whatever state he was in.

“I’m only protecting you, M’Lord.” Came the chilling reply, Papyrus not even looking at Sans as he raised his hand, the light in the gaster blasters growing and undulating in raw power. Sans was desperate. His brother and the others would not survive a direct blast, not when Papyrus wasn’t holding back. So he thought, harder than he ever thought in his life, and screamed the one thing that came to mind.

“PAPYRUS, HEEL.” With that Papyrus blinked, his eyelights returning to their normal white and a look of shock coming over his body, shivering as he waved his blasters away, huddling into himself as the bone cage around them dissipated. Fell and Swap ran over immediately, as Tale picked up his brother. Fell checked Papyrus for injuries, but was still in shock. The pure power this kid commanded… it was frightening. 

Papyrus was shaking, tears falling from his eyes. He looked up at Sans, who was also trembling, and had a flash on pain rip across his features.

“M-may I go to b-bed, M’Lord?” Papyrus mumbled, staring at the floor. Sans sighed.

“Yes you may, Papyrus.” Papyrus nodded and stood to his feet, shuffling up the stairs and into the farthest room, where Fell had told him earlier in the day he would be staying. Fell sat hard in the floor, Swap joining him. Sans looked on the verge of tears.

“I…I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean to…” Sans was sobbing now, guilt wracking his short frame.  
Fell had shed a few tears himself, but shook his head.

“No, Sans. It wasn’t your fault. We just have to…be more careful.” Sans nodded, Tale picking him up and carrying him to bed. Swap and Fell stayed where they were for a long time, no longer shocked, but filled to the brim with worry.

“We have to be able to help him…he was doing so good-!” Swap raised his hand to quiet Fell.

“Red had relapses as well. We’ve only had him for a week at most. We can’t expect him to get better in an instant.” Fell nodded, wiping his face and standing, bidding Swap good night. They had a long night ahead of them.


	8. Not an Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Read :D

OKAY SO THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE TO ME AND I'M SO FREAKING HAPPY YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA.

 

*Takes deep breath*

 

Okay, so this story hit 1000 reads a couple days ago. None of my stories have ever gotten that kind of attention. Ever. You guys mean so much to me it hurts T_T The only reason this story has gotten as far as it has is because of you guys, my beautiful Reader-chans!!!

 

So, to celebrate hitting 1000 reads, I wanted to ask if you guys wanted to make suggestions as to what the gang does when they go to town. What all do they show Papyrus? What all do they have him try? Who does he meet? I want your guy's input on this, only seems fair since you're the only reason I'm writing anyways :D So, I'll leave this here, get your suggestions, and hopefully have a chapter up in the next few days. Don't be timid, I'll consider every single request! Unless it goes against what I've put in the tags...So ye!!!

 

Thank you all so much!!!


	9. Puzzles and Pizza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, have some fluff :D Enjoy!!!
> 
> Also, and I'm so sorry I forgot to include this before!!! Here is some fan art by the wonderful Zany!! I love it so much T_T
> 
>  
> 
> https://66.media.tumblr.com/e072409a38d27c900b2218f8022a0760/tumblr_obgyf1IxMB1vtxlv6o1_1280.jpg

Fell and Swap stood outside of Papyrus’ door, a plate of breakfast spaghetti in Swap’s hands. Papyrus had kept them both awake most of the night, waking up terrified, screams tearing from his mouth for hours at a time. They had gotten him back asleep a few times, but he had awoken the same way each time, until Fell and Swap simply held him, letting him cry into their arms, not making him fall back asleep.

But, at some point right before sunrise Papyrus had fallen asleep once again, the first peaceful stretch of the night. They took the opportunity to make certain Sans and Tale weren’t kept awake, and to make some breakfast. Everyone but Papyrus had eaten, but as he hadn’t awoken yet, they had left him alone until Sans and Tale left to go to their jobs, promising that with the weekend coming up they could go out.

Fell looked at Swap once the slowly opened the door, holding it open until Swap was through before shutting it quietly. Papyrus was still in the bed, covered up to his neck, his hood pulled up. What gave away that he wasn't asleep was that his shoulders were trembling and the two could hear low sobs coming from the blankets. Fell sighed, kneeling down beside Papyrus, turning him over and pulling the blanket away from his face. Swap sat the plate of spaghetti on the desk on the other side of the large bedroom then settled on the other side of Papyrus, pulling him into a sitting position.

“Nightmare again, kid?” Fell asked, gently wiping the tears from Papyrus’ face. Papyrus shook his head, settling into Swap’s arms.

“I-I’m so sorry a-about last n-night…” Papyrus muttered. He had come down from his protective streak fairly quickly, his brain scrambling to remember where he was and who he was with. Once he had, the guilt hit him hard, wracking his body with sobs and nightmares the entire night.

Swap shushed him, hugging him tightly as Fell took Papyrus’ hands into his own, looking him in the eyes.

“Papyrus, kiddo, listen to me. We don’t blame you for what happened, and none of us are angry. Not even Sans. He understands why you reacted the way you did, and he feels just as bad as you do.” Papyrus looked up, confused. Why in the Underground would Sans feel bad? Then he remembered. Sans had snapped his fingers, something his own Sans had hard-wired into his mind as an instant command. One he could use if he wasn’t able to vocalize for any reason. Papyrus cringed at the memory of the training that entailed. He was lost in his mind for only a moment before Swap grounded him, hugging him tightly.

“We brought you some food. You up to it?” Fell asked, standing in front of the bed. Papyrus relaxed, nodding. He felt a little nauseous, but his hunger was greater. Fell nodded in response and retrieved the food, setting it in Papyrus’ outstretched hands. As Papyrus ate, Fell and Swap exchanged looks. Papyrus was just too cute sometimes.

 

~.~

 

That night when Sans and Papyrus came home they brought in several thin boxes, each fairly warm and a strange smell coming from them. Papyrus watched in fascination as Fell and Swap seemed to get a little excited, helping the other two set up in the kitchen. Papyrus, however, stayed where he was, perfectly content to let the others leave him in the living room, on the floor by the coffee table, as Fell had called it. Fell and Swap had searched throughout the day, trying to find something to entertain Papyrus with, and had stumbled across an entire collection of puzzles. Papyrus was more than a little confused at first, when the pieces tumbled out of the first box he picked out. Until he realized, by studying the box, that they formed a picture. Concentration settled into his features, he quickly put the puzzle together, gleeful at the praise he got from Swap and Fell. They gave him more puzzles, and then harder ones with even more pieces. He loved each of them, the pictures beautiful scenes he had never seen before. They must be things on the surface.

Now he was working on the hardest puzzle yet, as according to the box it contained no less than three thousand puzzle pieces. Papyrus was delighted with the challenge, content to stay exactly where he was and finish the puzzle. His fingers lingered on each colorful piece of cardboard before he placed them, fitting them firmly together. To his absolute glee he only had two pieces left, and put them in their places them quickly, the puzzle completed within only two hours. Wait. Papyrus stared at the puzzle, then at the box. Something was…there was a piece missing. Frowning, Papyrus picked up the box, shaking it so that the devious piece would fall out. Nothing so much as rattled. Frustrated now, Papyrus got to his knees, scrambling around in the general vicinity of his puzzle, dismayed when he found nothing. He stopped in front of his puzzle, frowning.

“Papyrus? What’s wrong, kid?” Fell was behind him, probably to tell him it was time to eat. Papyrus sat back on his heels, crossing his arms.

“I f-finally finished the s-stupid puzzle and a p-piece is m-missing.” He pouted. Fell chuckled, shaking his head and hiding his smile.

“Did you look for it?”

“Yes, it’s n-not in the b-box and I didn’t d-drop it anywhere.” Now Papyrus was on the verge of tears, and Fell swooped in, hugging him tightly.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Papyrus. It’s just a puzzle. You finished it, as hard as it was, even if a piece is missing. I’m very proud of you for being able to do that difficult of a puzzle.” Papyrus smiled at the praise, hugging Fell back. Both of them standing, Papyrus scowled once more at the puzzle until he stomped off and into the kitchen. Fell just shook his head, trying not to burst into laughter. This kid really was something else.


	10. Caramel and Bartenders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!!

Papyrus followed Fell and Swap out the front door, his hands in the large blue jacket Sans had let him borrow since his own hoody and jacket had needed cleaning. Papyrus would have preferred to keep his jacket, but Tale had gently insisted, so he let the other take it, making certain he would be careful with it. That jacket was the one thing his Sans had given him when they had moved to Snowdin, after it was apparent Papyrus had stopped growing. It was one more thing to remind Papyrus that his brother never actually cared, but he couldn’t let it go. Too much blood and too many tears had been shed on the soft, thick fabric. It had been Papyrus’ shelter for too long for him to get rid of it. Unlike the filthy collar that Fell had burned as soon as he found Papyrus. Papyrus did not miss that.

“How far is it to…town?” Papyrus was still trying to get used to being able to ask questions when he felt like it. Fell was right beside him, Swap slightly behind. They were going to meet Tale and Sans in town somewhere, so they had left as soon as Sans called and gave the okay. Fell looked at him for a moment before he looked back ahead, his hands in the pockets of the black leather jacket he wore.

“Mmm, shouldn’t take more than half an hour to walk there. Normally I’d have lazy bones back there blip us, but I figured you might like to see the forest along the way.” Fell shrugged and Swap smiled. Fell really had come a long way. Papyrus nodded, walking calmly, staring at every strange thing they came across. The trees seemed to go on forever, and the grass only thinned out around the bottoms of the trunks. Once a squirrel had run across the path in front of them and Papyrus had stopped, shocked. He had never seen anything so…small.

~.~

Soon they had reached the edge of the forest and come upon a much larger path, covered in black stone. Papyrus tilted his head a bit at the strange yellow lines that went down the middle of the path, and nearly went to touch one when Swap pulled him back to them gently.

“Be careful, kid. People drive crazy out here.” Swap said, Fell nodding before leading them down the road. Papyrus frowned, looking back at the yellow lines, shaking his head.

“Drive?” he asked, confused. Swap chuckled, as did Fell.

“You’ll see, kid.” was the cryptic answer he received. It didn’t take long for Papyrus to “see”. He only warning was a slight roar before a large blast of wind pushed him a little into Swap, a shiny red box moving faster than he would have thought possible past them and out of sight. Papyrus paused, breathing heavily. Swap rubbed his shoulder comfortingly before Fell spoke.

“That’s just a car. Perfectly safe. Nothing to be afraid of, I promise.” Fell smiled a little as Papyrus nodded, wringing his hands a little bit. That was a ‘car’? How terrifying. But…he didn’t think Fell would lie to him. And he was sure Swap would protect him. So, once about five other ‘cars’ had passed, Papyrus found himself calm and uninterested.

~.~

Papyrus stared in amazement around him. The building were so tall, and there were windows everywhere, glinting the sun light. And people, there were people everywhere. It was almost too much to handle, the noise, the smells. Swap noticed his heavy breathing and nodded to Fell, who sped up, the two of them practically holding Papyrus between them as they made their way farther into the city. Papyrus walked along, eventually just closing his eyes and letting the two others guide him, before he heard a door open and found himself surrounded by warmth. His eyes popped open and searched the room, smiling when Tale and Sans waved to him from the other side. Fell and Swap released his arms and began walking towards the other two, leaving Papyrus to look around. It was a dark, large room, with booths and little tables set up, much like the ‘bars’ he had read in the books he once had. Sans hadn’t wanted him to be dumb and illiterate as well as useless, so he made sure Papyrus knew how to read.

There were a few candles here and there, the floor and walls were made of a dark, rich brown wood, and everything looked comfortable. But the largest source of light in the room came from behind the others, who were already sitting in ‘stools’ at the front of the ‘bar’. Papyrus walked forward, keeping his eyes down as he sat on the floor behind them, honestly happy that they weren’t sitting in the floor anymore. It also made him sad, somewhere in the depths of his soul, but he pushed that away. They didn’t deserve to be in the floor like he did. 

He got comfortable, sitting with his back against the wall to the side of the bar, a tiny smile on his face. It really was warm in here, almost a comfortable warmth, like when he had been out at his station too long and came home half frozen. He closed his eyes, putting his head on the wall, before he heard a scuffling in front of him. His eye opened again, finding that the others had gotten off their stools and were in a circle around him, still talking as though they hadn’t moved. Papyrus shifted uncomfortably before he sighed. They were weird. His eyes snapped up again when the warmth got closer, warming his bones gently. Behind the others was a tall man, taller than Papyrus, made entirely of fire. He figured this must be the ‘bartender’, or whatever that one book had called it. The man lowered several drinks to the others, nodding at their thanks, before extending a brown, plastic bottle to Papyrus. Papyrus eyed it before looking to Fell, who nodded. Papyrus took it and looked at it for a moment, noting that it looked very similar to Swap’s honey bottle. Putting it to his teeth, he suckled, expecting sweet syrup to ooze into his throat. Instead he got a mouthful of something thick, sugary, and like nothing he had ever tasted. He decided instantly that this was way better than either the honey or the chocolate. He guzzled the liquid, not even caring what the others might think, until the bottle was empty. Swap was chuckling a little, as was Sans, when he lowered the bottle, a little sheepish.

“You like caramel that much, huh?” Fell asked, his voice dripping with amusement. Papyrus nodded instantly.

“I like it better than honey.” He said before he could stop himself. He looked over at Swap, sweating as he saw the other’s mouth fall open, Fell bursting into laughter.

“Sacrilege!” Swap exclaimed, though he was smiling. Papyrus gulped, but relaxed when Sans and Swap started laughing as well, Tale just shaking his head.

“Just joking, kid. Like whatever you want.” Swap winked, turning back towards the bartender.

“Yo, Grillbz. Need a refill of the caramel.” The bartender, apparently named Grillbz, nodded, disappearing through a doorway behind the bar. Papyrus watched him leave, before turning back to Sans.

“Um…S-s-…Sans?” He flinched a little when Sans turned to him immediately, but relaxed when Sans gave him a lazy smile.

“Where... are we going home soon?” Papyrus asked. It had begun to get late and he wasn’t sure he wanted to walk through those beautiful woods when it was dark.

“No, actually. We’re gonna stay the night with a friend.” Sans said, smiling a large smile. Papyrus tilted his head. A friend? Well…he could only hope they were nice. And would be like Fell and Swap. And this Sans. Papyrus smiled back, although it was tiny, and didn’t miss the brightness that flooded Fell and Swap’s faces when he did.

“Okay.”


	11. Stars and Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the name of this chapter, there is no physical pie present...Enjoy!!

After they had eaten and said their goodbyes to Grillby (not Grillbz, Papyrus reminded himself), they all began walking back up the road towards the forest, and Papyrus was relieved that there were much fewer people around. He still stared at everything he passed, trying to take it all in. How could people have so many windows? Weren’t they afraid of someone breaking in? Shaking his head he followed without a word, simply listening to the other’s talk. They really seemed to like talking, especially the other ‘him’s’. He noted the differences in their voices, how they each sounded similar but had their own quirks and strange afflictions.

“You okay there, kid?” Papyrus jerked up at the sound of Sans’ voice, noticing that he and the shorter skeleton had lagged behind the others a little. Papyrus just smiled a barely there smile and nodded. He didn’t think he could ever be more okay than he was in this moment. All of it was a bit…overwhelming in how much better it was than his life before. Sans nodded, staring up into the sky. Papyrus followed his gaze and stopped in his tracks, gasping.

“Papyrus? You okay?” He heard Fell ask, before the other pus a firm hand on his shoulder. Papyrus could only whimper at the pure majesty of the sky above him, a deep black riddled with lights. Vaguely he heard Swap laugh.

“Yeah, they’re pretty, aren’t they.” Papyrus nodded slightly, trying to comprehend the beauty he was seeing.

“What….what are they?” he asked, his voice quiet, but lacking the fear he usually harbored. Fell must have noticed because Papyrus felt his grip tighten just barely.

“They are called stars. They are giant balls of fire that sit millions of miles away from us.” Papyrus tried to wrap his head around the idea of something being so big they could see it from that distance. The thought was astounding.

“We can do some stargazing when we get to Tori’s.” Sans said gently, Fell and Swap nodding. Papyrus looked down when Fell tugged his jacket a tiny bit and nodded. He didn’t care where he went if it meant getting to look at the “stars” more.

~.~

Fell and Swap smiled a little when they came to the long drive that lead to the Queen’s large home. When they had come before with their brothers, Toriel was kind and generous to each of them, even when Fell or Red broke the no cursing rule. To be honest, Fell was pretty sure Red had met the Queen in their own timeline, and when he had asked the difference, Red shivered and told him to just stay away from the door to the Ruins.

The house was large and made almost entirely of different types of wood, with large stones making up the foundation. It really did look like a home fit for royalty by Underground standards, but up on the surface it wasn’t the preferred style. Humans sure were strange.

Soon they had all crowded together under the large porch awning, Sans ringing the doorbell. A loud, gentle voice called out, before the large oak door swung open, the Queen smiling.

“Hello you two! I haven’t seen you in a while!” Fell nodded respectively; Swap just grinned. Tal had already run in to play video games with the human child that had saved them from their Underground. Sweet kid, but didn’t like speaking much. But, at this point, the two tall skeletons wondered if Papyrus had gone through any resets of his own and recognized the kid. Worried they instantly looked to him, and were relieved to find that he was simply introducing himself to the Queen.

“Well, you must be the new Papyrus Sans told me about! I must say, you look a little small for a Papyrus. We’ll need to get some meat on those bones!” Fell groaned and Swap chuckled, while Papyrus just tilted his head, trying to decide if he was missing something. Toriel blinked at the lack of response then shrugged it off, going into the kitchen after telling Sans that dessert was almost ready. Sans left to check on Tale while Fell and Swap stood with Papyrus.

“Umm…was she trying to make a….a…joke?” Papyrus finally asked, looking at his hands.

“Yeah, those are called puns. It’s okay if you didn’t get it, that one wasn’t very good.” Swap assured, before wincing at Toriel’s voice from the kitchen.

“I heard that, young man!” Swap acted scared and hid behind Fell, getting a scoff from Fell and a small laugh from Papyrus. Swap playfully bonked Fell on the head before running off into the living room, now hiding behind Tale. Fell huffed, then turned to Papyrus.

“You wanted to look at the stars, yes?” Papyrus nodded, smiling at the thought of gazing upwards again. Fell smiled back and walked to a closet in the hall that lead to the guest rooms, grabbing up a long quilt before gently leading Papyrus to the back of the house. Walking out the back door, Fell led Papyrus down a small, grassy hill to a large meadow, spreading the blanket he had brought carefully. He sat, pulling off his boots and placing them to the side and Papyrus followed his lead, pulling off his tattered sneakers

“Looks like we’ll need to take a trip to the Mall. But I believe we need to bring someone who will do a better job of picking out clothes than I or Swap.” Fell murmured quietly, staring up at the sky in thought. Papyrus was way ahead of him, his gaze locked on the heavens above, his mind filled with questions and thoughts. It was all too much, but it was so different that he thought he liked the flurry of thought in his own mind.

They sat there for hours, Swap eventually coming out and settling with his head on Fell’s lap, despite Fell’s protests. Papyrus laughed a little at the spectacle, but found himself laying down, his eyes drooping closed as he filled his mind with the black expanse, the quiet chirping, the light breeze that caressed his bones…


	12. Clothes and Carnivals-Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an bit longer of a chapter ^^ I felt bad for posting short chapters after you guys waiting so long for them...so have a "Please-Forgive-Da-SansyFresh" apology chapter TuT
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I know other writers enjoy doing streams when they write, and I was wondering if that would be anything you all would be interested in? Tibia honest, I would not be upset in the least if you didn't...Imma nervous bean... But let me know ^^

Papyrus awoke to a strange smell that wafted through his skull almost serenely. He blinked himself awake and sat up, trying to identify the heavenly smell that had filled the bedroom he was in. He glanced around confused for a moment, until he remembered that he and the others were...’staying the night’ at that Goat Woman’s house. Standing, Papyrus flinched a little at the sharp twinge of pain in his left patella, not enough to make him cry out, but enough to make a tear or two come to his eyes. Sitting back down, he lifted the leg of his baggy shorts up and found that the once bright green bandage was now almost an opaque gray. He tilted his head and willed up a small sharp bone. After the strange bandage was sawed through, he pulled it gently from his knee, the substance still a bit sticky.

“Did the healing magic run out?” Papyrus flinched a little as he turned to the side, his eyes widening to the sight of the Goat Woman staring down at him. Toriel was her name? Papyrus simply nodded, examining the small cracks that spanned his patella still. A huff of air hit him from the side and he yelped, jerking back and hitting his head against the wall.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! I only meant to check your wound, please forgive my suddenness.” Toriel said quickly, concern clearly etched in her voice. Papyrus sat back up, wincing and holding his head, still not looking up at her.

“Would you mind if I finished healing it for you? Your knee I mean.” He stared to the side for a moment, willing himself to calm down. Fell and Swap would not bring him anywhere dangerous. They would not leave him alone if they didn’t deem it safe. Taking a deep breath, Papyrus nodded, shifting a little so Toriel could have a better view. He bit back a whine as she placed a large, furry paw on his leg, then watched in fascination as the same color green that his bandage had been surrounded her hand in the form of magic. After a few moments she pulled away, letting him have more space. Papyrus checked his patella and found no cracks; not even a scar. He smiled the tiniest smile and looked up at Toriel, gratitude on his features.

“Thank you, Toriel.” He watched her eyes grow big at the sound of his voice, and all of the sudden he was enveloped in fuzzy warmth. Papyrus straightened up, tense at the sudden development, but found that the warmth was…nice. Comforting. Toriel pulled back just as quickly as she had brought him into her arms, a sheepish smile on her face.

“I am very sorry about that, you just…you remind me a lot of Papyrus and seeing you hurt…” Papyrus nodded that he understood, although he wasn’t entirely certain he did. Toriel seemed to accept it and began to walk out of the room, turning once to give him a wide smile.

“Breakfast is ready, my child. If you are ready to eat, please do not hesitate to join us in the kitchen.” Papyrus nodded to her, standing and testing his weight on his knee. No pain. He looked up and found that Toriel was already gone. Still smiling, Papyrus wandered to the small window in the room, staring outside for a moment, taking in the just now rising ‘sun’.

 

~.~

“Papyrus, I wanted to talk to you before we go clothing shopping.” Papyrus looked up from his seat in the large plush couch in the living room, still in the process of tying his tennis shoes. Fell was standing in front of him, his hands wringing together slightly. Papyrus tilted his head at the other’s anxious actions; what did Fell have to be afraid of?

“Yes, Fell?” Papyrus asked once a few minutes had gone by without another word from the other. Fell sighed and sat beside him, his hands holding onto the scarf around his neck.

“I told you before that we would need help to get your new clothing, correct?” Papyrus simply nodded, now turned respectfully towards Fell.

“Well, I needed to talk to you before he gets here.” Papyrus saw the way Fell wouldn’t exactly look at him and slowly out the pieces together in his mind.

“Is it…is it your…your S-sans?” Papyrus got out, his own hands together in his lap. Fell nodded, and took a hold of his shoulders.

“He’s nothing like your Sans, if anything he’s a lot like the Sans that’s from here. He’s kind, and lazy, but loving. Even if he is a smartass. For convenience sake, we call him Red. If you think you’ll be too uncomfortable to meet him, I’ll help Tale take your measurements and you and I will stay here while they shop.” Papyrus listened to him for a moment, before looking Fell in the eye.

“I…I feel like, if he’s like you…and like Sans…then I’ll be okay.” Fell nodded, knowing he was talking about the Tale Sans.

“I want you to promise me that if you start to feel uncomfortable that you’ll tell me. Promise me, Papyrus.” Papyrus nodded, his hands shaking slightly as he took a deep breath to calm himself. Fell would not hurt him. Fell would not let him be in any danger.

A sudden crackle in the air startled the two skeletons on the couch, both turning to face Sans, Red, and Swap. Swap walked over to Papyrus immediately and sat on his other side, giving him a large smile. Papyrus gave him a much smaller smile back, but seeing Swap’s face light up was worth it.

“Kid? This is Red. He’s…Fell me.” Papyrus nodded, staring at his hands and taking a deep breath before looking up at the newcomer. The first instinct he had was to compare this new Sans with his own brother. They both had sharp teeth and claws, but this Sans had a gold tooth and wore a coat very similar to the one he had left at Tale and Sans’ house. He wished he had it now as Red stared at him, his face in a scowl. All at once the other lightened up and smiled at him, slowly putting out his hand. Papyrus looked at him warily.

“I’m not falling for that again.” Fell and Swap stared at him while Sans burst into laughter, Red glaring at him.

“What the hell, Blue? Already did the good pranks?”

“Nah, just the handshake one. He’s…not really ready for anything else.” Red nodded, looking Papyrus up and down again before glaring at his brother.

“Pap, why didn’t you already buy him some clothes? He looks ridiculous in Blue’s shit.”

“It’s not my fault you got all the prissy genes, brother. I am great at many things, picking out clothing is not one of them.” Red snorted at that before showing Papyrus his hand. Papyrus watched as he put away what looked to be a small, round, metallic object, offering his hand again. Papyrus took it gently, pulling back quickly once they had ‘shaken hands’. 

“Welp, let’s get this show on the road, Berry’ll throw a hissy fit if I’m not back by tonight.” Swap chucked and stood, along with Fell. Papyrus gathered his nerves and stood as well, a little surprised as Red walked in front of him, his arms crossed.

“I wanted to let you know that I ain’t your brother. I will never hurt you. You got that, kid?” Papyrus nodded, looking Red in the eye. Red smiled, a gentle, kind smile, then led the way to the door.

“C’mon then, we needa get you out of those rags as quickly as possible.”

“Hey!”


	13. Malls and Puns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monumental Occasion for Papy...Enjoy!!!
> 
>  ALSO LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL FAN ART T_T: http://nurse-gaster.tumblr.com/image/150024155803
> 
> (i am so sorry for not updating, ive been having a hard time with writing in general...my creativity likes to work against me...IM SO SORRY TnT)

Entering the Mall turned out to be the strangest thing Papyrus had encountered thus far since escaping his brother. Sure, there were a ton of people, a lot of lights, sounds, and smells, and he had two different versions of his brother near him. But…it was different walking through the crowds here than in the city. He didn’t get the vague knot in his soul from feeling as though he was being watched, and everything seemed to flow well together. 

“You good, kid?” Papyrus tore his eyes from the shops he was observing, finding Fell, Swap, and Red all staring at him with varied levels of concern on their faces, Sans more looking around to make certain no one was staring. Papyrus stared back for a moment before looking around once more, a small smile on his face as he nodded.

“I’m fine.” Papyrus felt them check over him once more before taking his word for it, Fell and Swap staying at his sides. Red and Sans walked in front, leading the way. Papyrus noticed that, although Sans didn’t seem to really care about his own appearance, he knew the same shops Red did, often making comments or giving playful banter on certain stores. Papyrus absorbed it all, finding the atmosphere to honestly be fairly relaxing. Fell and Swap would walk to each other occasionally, sometimes passing little jibes back and forth, although really it was mostly Swap making puns and Fell griping at him for it.

“You two need to kiss already.” Papyrus felt both companions tense beside him, and found that Red was looking back as they walked, obviously having heard their joking. Papyrus was a little worried they were actually upset, but he noticed a faint blush on Swap’s face and Fell trying not to smirk. He shook his head. 

“What, you don’t think they make a cute couple, kid? I know Sans here does.” Red tilted his head to Sans, who chuckled and nodded, sticking his tongue out when Stretch growled at him. Papyrus laughed lightly as now both Fell and Swap were openly blushing and trying to look anywhere but the other skeletons.

“Don’t let him get you all ‘heated up’, Fell.” Papyrus whispered after a moment of thinking, not daring to look up to see if he caught it. Hearing a loud snort from Swap, he lifted his head and found Swap staring at him, his hands over his mouth concealing a huge smile, literal stars in his eyes. Glancing at the Sanses revealed similar reactions. 

“I’m so proud!”

“SWAP WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, YOU’VE RUINED HIM WITH YOUR INFERNAL PUNS!”

“I’M SO PROUD!”

Both Sanses burst into laughter and Papyrus laughed pretty hard himself, after making sure that Fell wasn’t really mad. They stood there for a moment, Papyrus soaking in the honest emotion he could feel from the others; happiness, relaxation, content. It wasn’t something he was used to…but he honestly hoped he would never tire of it.

~.~

“Welp, I think this is where we can get most of your clothes. We can get the more…edgy stuff somewhere else.” Papyrus nodded and continued into the brightly lit store, Fell sharp on his tail as he looked through things. Swap and Red left to check around the vicinity of stores, while Sans simply waited by the entrance, more than content to stay out of it unless he was actually needed. He was the one paying, after all. Not that Papyrus needed to know that.

Papyrus had never seen so many shirts and sweaters and pants in his entire life, a little overwhelmed with his choices once Fell told him to pick out whatever caught his eye. If he was honest most of the clothing was a bit too brightly colored, or had strange textures that felt weird against his bones. Then he found the long sleeved shirt section and could have possibly had stars in his eyes as he found some of the softest, fluffiest material he had ever felt in his life.

Fell chuckled behind him as he ran his phalanges along several dark colored, poofy sweaters, grabbing whichever ones Papyrus touched more than once. Soon he had a decent handful, taking a small detour back to Sans to drop them off before helping Papyrus pick out jeans and comfortable shorts he could wear when at home. Soon they had enough clothing to give Papyrus a decent sized selection. Everything was bought and bagged, Sans shortcutting home long enough to drop off the bags before they left to find the others.

It didn’t take long to find the kind of store they meant when they said edgy. Papyrus was a bit fascinated by all the rather strange, dark colored things he found, most of the shirts covered in pictures or sentences that didn’t make much sense to him. Maybe it was Surface things? Some of these things were morbid or violent, things he wouldn’t have been surprised to find where he used to be. And to his surprise, humans seemed to be obsessed with skeletons. Jewelry, shirts, pants, jackets; all of these things had at least a small section dedicated to skeletons in specific. Although, he felt a little blush form when he came across a rather accurate picture of a naked skeleton.

“Hey, Pap, I found you some stuff. Some of its already back at the house, but I figured you should have this now.” Papyrus gratefully looked away from the lewd shirt to find Red and Sans standing beside Fell, a large smile on all of their faces, Red hiding something behind his back. Papyrus tilted his head and cautiously put one hand forward, blinking in surprise as Red pulled a large black lump from behind him and put it in his outstretched hand. It was a bit heavier than he would have thought as he held it up with both hands, letting it unfold slowly. The length of it flowed down to his knees, revealing a large, soft, black jacket, the hood filled with light brown fur and the inside lined with dark brown fluff. Papyrus felt his mouth fall open as he shrugged it on, the coat almost two sizes too big, just as he liked it. He hugged himself for a moment, enjoying the comfortable warmth with a large smile as he flipped the hood up.

He looked up with tears in his eyes and found that all four of the others were close to crying as well, Fell and Swap holding their arms out. Papyrus ran to them, before deciding something and pulling Red and Sans into the hug as well, ignoring the sounds of shock. He settled into the warmth, tears slowly streaming down his face.

“Thank you, thank you so much…” Papyrus mumbled, holding them all tighter to himself. He felt the love, once again, pouring from their souls in waves, and his own soul lapped it up desperately.

“Thank you…”


	14. Murder and Carnivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some fluffy angst ^^ Enjoy!

Papyrus did not take off the jacket after that. Not in the following weeks he lived with Fell and Swap in the Tale brother’s house, visiting Toriel and the human child he had met when it was a clear enough night for star gazing. He eventually grew comfortable around the two skeletons he now considered his dads, although he knew they were the same age, essentially. He had asked Swap about that, and Swap had told him that, because of where he had come from, he wasn’t as far developed mentally as he should have been. Neither of the skeletons he looked up to seemed to care; if anything they both seemed touched when he told them his thoughts on the matter (if the tears and hugs had been any indicator).

 Now Fell seemed to enjoy teasing Swap, calling him Mom. Papyrus really didn’t understand completely how that was supposed to be embarrassing, but oh well. Sans and Tale had gotten in on the teasing at some point, until it got to where Swap seemed legitimately upset. Papyrus had tried to apologize for letting them know, and the teasing suddenly stopped. Swap assured him that he loved that he thought of him like that, that he was really just mad at the others. Once again, Papyrus wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, but let it go.

 Papyrus had also found himself becoming…friends? With Fell’s Sans. They understood each other a little better than anyone else did. Although Papyrus hadn’t realized this until the night he slept on the couch in the Tale brother’s house and woke up, completely in a panic and unaware of where he was or who he was with.

 

~.~

 

 _Papyrus awoke on the couch,_ **_no, he couldn’t be on the couch, M’Lord would get angry, mutts didn’t belong on the furniture…_** _He began to hyperventilate, eyelights flitting about relentlessly, trying to figure out why nothing seemed to be the same, why things were in the wrong place, **why nothing seemed the same** **as when he had gone to sleep the night before**. Pushing himself off the couch, Papyrus started to crawl to the stairs, trying to be as quiet as he could be, though he collapsed in his fear as he made his way up the steps. A door opened upstairs, **M’Lord was awake, he would beat him, he had woken him up!**_

**** _Papyrus screamed in terror, falling back down the stairs, and though it wasn’t really all that many his still tender ribs made him gasp in pain. Two small hands were on him and he screamed again, huddling into himself, until he finally heard whatever words his master had been spitting at him._

_“Papyrus! It’s okay bud, its Red, he isn’t here, Sans isn’t here, I promise. Look at me, kid. It’s Red, not Sans, not your brother. C’mon kid, I promised I wouldn’t hurt ya, didn’t I? Look at me, please?”_

_Papyrus looked up, afraid he’d get in even more trouble if he didn’t, and was a bit shocked out of his terror when he got a clear view of the other’s face. White eyelights, a gold tooth, a tired sheen on his face. Papyrus took a couple deep breaths to calm himself, finally remembering all he had been through, that he no longer lived with his brother, that he was free from all the torture. And promptly broke down in Red’s arms._

_“I’m s-sorry, I’m sorry, I-I’m sorry…” Papyrus mumbled repeatedly, holding Red close to him, tucking his face into the other’s chest. Red didn’t seem to mind, holding him gently, letting him sob into his shirt, and caressing his back soothingly._

_“It’s okay, kid. I understand, it’s hard, it really is. Just remember we’re here for ya now, okay?” Papyrus nodded fervently, not letting up on his grip of the other, even when he had finally stopped crying. The two of them had fallen asleep like that for the rest of the night, leaving Red to explain what had happened the next morning. Fell and Swap hadn’t let him sleep alone after that._

~.~

 

It was after that that Papyrus really became used to Sans and Red’s presence in his life, fully inserting in his mind that they were not his brother. If they were going to hurt him, they would have done so long ago. Which led to several situations where Red, Sans, Fell, Swap and himself would be working on some new puzzle Tale would bring home, Papyrus finding things like laughing and smiling becoming easier to do with each passing day.

 “Hey kid, there’s a carnival this weekend, you wanna go?” Papyrus looked up from the book he was reading; once Fell discovered his love for murder mysteries, he had gone out of his way to get a new one for Papyrus any time he finished one. Sans was looking at his from the kitchen, where he and Swap were cooking for the night. Papyrus titled his head in question, and Sans seemed to understand the gesture.

 “It’s like a party? I guess? Shit, that doesn’t help…There’s music, and food, and a lot of fun things to do. We could stay the night at Tori’s, maybe stop by Grillbz for lunch.” Papyrus smiled widely at the thought of returning to the bar; Grillby had remembered his preference for caramel and always kept some on hand just in case they stopped by. He had even begun to try out different milkshakes on Papyrus, since he seemed to have a major sweet tooth. Papyrus was quite happy with the arrangement.

 “Yeah, I think I’d like that.” Papyrus kept his smile as Sans nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen, returning to the book. He was sure the damn gas attendant had to know more than he was letting on, the stupid human just didn’t want to admit it!

 “Papyrus? You alright?” He looked up, Fell walking through the front door. Papyrus realized he had been intensely scowling at his book, his anger at the character’s density when it came to solving crimes showing itself on his face. Papyrus shook his head, looking down distastefully at the thick book in his hands.

 “No, these humans are stupid. I’d have gotten an answer from Tim two weeks ago and had this whole thing solved in half that time!” Papyrus growled, though he looked up quizzically when he heard Fell start laughing loudly. Fell was bent over a bit, holding his ribs as he laughed, and Papyrus felt his face heat up.

 “Oh, Papyrus, I’m sure you could, kid. Let’s go eat supper. You can go back to being pissed at Tim afterwards.” Fell winked and nodded to the kitchen and Papyrus smiled, carefully placing his bookmark in its spot and setting his book on the couch table before following Fell to the kitchen. Yeah, he already knew who the killer was. How those stupid humans couldn’t tell, he couldn’t figure out.


	15. Cotton Candy and Teddy Bears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have the carnival chapter special for the 1000 reads event. You know, the one I should have done weeks ago? Enjoy!!!

The others sure were excited about the “carnival”. No one had really been able to explain to him what a carnival was; he assumed it was because of where he had come from. Papyrus didn’t mind; if they were all this excited about it, it would be fun. If he honest with himself, however, he was mostly looking forward to visiting Grillby’s again. Which was their first stop for the day, once everyone was ready to go.

“You good to go, kid?” Papyrus looked up at Fell from the couch, where he had been waiting for almost twenty minutes for the others to be ready. He just smiled and nodded, standing to his feet and looking to the stairs expectantly, where Swap was just then coming down from “getting dressed”. Papyrus stared at him for a moment, before frowning and crossing his arms. Swap looked startled for a moment, until Fell copied his mannerisms.

“Did you even change, Swap? You’re wearing the exact same thing you wore to bed last night.” Fell sneered, although Papyrus could hear the amusement in his voice as Swap looked away for a moment, pretending to look at the clock before hurrying over to them.

“Whoops, look at that, time to go!” Papyrus and Fell opened their mouth simultaneously, Fell to tease, Papyrus to ask where the others were, but Swap had already taken hold of their respective shoulders and blipped. Fell immediately whapped Swap on the back of the head, giving Papyrus a discreet wink before walking up to the bar, where Tale and Sans were already waiting. Papyrus walked right behind him, smile already on his face as Grillby waved him over to the stool he had started sitting in every time they went.

The first time Papyrus had finally sat at a table, the others had practically had a party for him, getting movies from someone named “Alphys” and getting what Papyrus finally learned was called “pizza”. He especially enjoyed the “pepperoni” pizza, the slight spice from the meat pairing well with the milk he always drank at meal times. So, for the first time since Papyrus had entered their lives, they all ate at the table, talking joyfully and attempting to keep Papyrus in the conversation, though he still wasn’t completely comfortable. 

Now taking a seat at Grillby’s bar seemed natural, like he had been doing so his entire life. Papyrus watched as Grillby walked over, seeing what looked to be a new milkshake in the bartender’s hand before it was placed before him. The others were already seated and talking to each other, so Papyrus leaned forward so he could hear Grillby’s response.

“What’s in it this time?” 

“Caramel, pecans, chocolate, and fudge. Let me know if it’s too sweet.” Papyrus nodded eagerly, sitting back in his stool and grabbing onto the tall milkshake glass with both hands, scooting it closer to him and taking a long sip. He let it sit in his mouth for a moment, tasting all the distinguishing flavors and alternating textures, then frowned up at Grillby.

“It could use a little less chocolate. Maybe vanilla-chocolate swirl?” Papyrus smiled as Grillby nodded sagely and wrote down his advice. Grillby always listened to him and let him see if the changed he suggested made anything better. They usually did. Continuing to sip on his shake, sweet as it was, he turned in his stool to find Fell and Swap looking at him carefully, as if gauging his reaction. He tilted his head but they just smiled, continuing to talk with Sans and Tale. Papyrus shrugged to himself turned back to his shake. Hopefully he’d have time to finish it before they left.

~.~

They stayed at Grillby’s for maybe an hour, delighting Papyrus as he had time to both finish his shake and talk with the bartender, asking about the other dishes he made and what Papyrus might like to try when he came again. Papyrus was at first nervous about money, but Grillby assured him it was no problem. That Papyrus was trading his opinions for food, which was extremely helpful for his business. Papyrus accepted and, once everyone else was ready to move on for the day, told Grillby he was looking forward to his next visit. 

Papyrus followed the others like they had all those weeks ago as they walked through the city, Sans falling back to walk beside him while the other Papyruses talked rather animatedly about something. Papyrus was honestly surprised when Swap even got in on the argument they were having, finding it a little funny when he would calmly argue with a screeching Fell and Tale. Sans seemed to find it humorous as well, if the wide smirk on his face said anything. 

Papyrus looked up as he noticed they were taking a different route than what they usually took to get to Toriel’s house, instead heading deeper into town. He could smell food in the air, hot and greasy, and if he hadn’t just eaten his mouth would have been watering. There were bright lights farther down the street they were walking, and the closer they got the clearer the strange metal contraptions became. They were strange and loud, rattling and humans screaming at the same time. There was a LOT of people, but with repeated visits to the mall Papyrus had gotten a little more used to being in crowds. So he pushed on as they finally reached what Papyrus assumed was the “carnival”, based on the bright look in Fell and Swap’s eye sockets.

“You boys going to take off on us?” Papyrus heard a strange tone in Sans’ voice, and from the slight sobering of Fell and Swap’s expressions they must have heard it as well. Fell sniffed, a bit offended as he walked to stand beside Papyrus, Swap moving to his other side.

“Of course not! Papyrus deserves to have all the fun he can. He will only do so with us helping him. You are too lazy!” Fell sneered at the other playfully, and Papyrus snickered as Sans shrugged, nonplussed by Fell’s teasing. They continued on, Sans walking with Tale as they all made their way through the crowds and past strange little rooms that had flashing lights hug around the windows people yelled things out of. Papyrus ignored most of them, letting the other’s lead im to wherever they were going, listening as they all talked about things excitedly, honestly happy that they were having a good time, even though he really didn’t know what any of this was. Until something caught his eye.

Papyrus turned mid step, eyelights widened as he turned, hands coming up to his chest in the way he did when he felt a slight bit nervous. Fell and Swap immediately noticed that he had stopped and looked to him, worry plain in their faces.

“Kid? You okay? Is it too much?” Swap asked carefully. Papyrus shook his head, looking away a little, before taking them both of their sleeves and leading them over to the room that caught his eye. He looked up at both of them, looked down for a moment shyly, then pointed to a small stuffed bear that hung from the ceiling along with several other animals. It was extremely fluffy and was the same color and type of fur as his old coat; a deep, chocolate brown.

“I…I really like that bear…could you get it?” Papyrus refused to look up in his companion’s faces; they had told him before that if he wanted something, all he had to do was ask. It still made him nervous. 

“Of course, Papyrus.” Papyrus looked up to find Fell smiling warmly at him before turning to the person in the window of the strange room, while Swap stayed at his side. Fell appeared to play a game of some sort, and within moments had the bear in his hands, holding it out to a smiling Papyrus. Papyrus took the bear and buried his face in it, breathing in the unfamiliar smell, though it would smell like home soon enough. He looked up, sparkles in his sockets.

“Thank you, Fell.” Papyrus watched, a bit confused as Fell and Swap both looked away for a moment, light coloring on their faces. He tilted his head but shrugged to himself, running over to Sans to show him his new possession.

~.~

The rest of the night went by quickly, but full of interesting new things. Sometime after getting his bear Tale insisted on him trying something pick and fluffy in a plastic bag, saying it was called “cotton candy”, and that it was sweet. Excited, Papyrus instantly tore some of the fluff and, once Sans suggested it, formed his ecto tongue and let the pink fluff set on it. Once he discovered the effect of the melting sweetness the rest of the “cotton” didn’t last long.

There were a couple of strange contraptions that he had seen before that Tale, Fell and Swap all seemed excited to get on, but as the screaming humans and rumbling roars made him nervous, Sans stayed with him while they went on. He talked with Sans while they went, mostly about the books he had been reading and how aggravated he was with the humans that didn’t seem smart enough to work in the jobs they had. Sans agreed with him, though he had a glint of soft amusement in his eyes. 

Once the others were done with…whatever they wanted to do at the carnival, they all headed home, though only after getting Papyrus two more bags of cotton candy, though he hadn’t asked for it. Once home Fell and Swap went to bed fairly quickly, Fell complaining that Swap had no reason to be tired even as they closed their shared bedroom door. Papyrus wasn’t exactly tired so he stayed up with Sans and Tale, who had decided to eat a bit of left over spaghetti from breakfast.

“You’ve made a lot of progress, kid. I know Swap and Mc Edgelord are proud of you.” Sans said between sips of ketchup, an easy smile on his face. Tale smiled as well, nodding his agreement.

“Yes, Fell seems much happier than he used to be. Swap as well.” Papyrus tilted his head at this. Was his “dads” not happy before? Why? He’d have to ask later when they woke up.

“Thank you.” Papyrus whispered as he ate his cotton candy. It had been an interesting night. Much more lively than staying at home and reading. As Sans and Tale began bickering and making puns back and forth, even as Tale pretended to be angry about them, Papyrus leaned back in his chair, talking with them and throwing out his opinions every once in a while, most of the time agreeing with Sans, though sometimes he would agree with Tale simply to mess with his new friend. It really had been a good day.


	16. Berry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* I make a schedule and it goes to shit. *shrugs* Have a new chapter, guys. The last arc is upon us, Next Stop: Underswap!
> 
> Enjoy!!

“I think we should let Berry meet him.” Fell snapped his head up from where he had been staring at a pile of books he was leafing through, trying to find new ones for Papyrus to read. He and Swap had decided to take off for the day to enjoy the surface, Papyrus himself having decided to stay home and work on a couple new, more difficult puzzles with Sans. Fell’s face scrunched up in slight discomfort as he turned back to his task.

“Are you really certain that’s a good idea? From what we’ve agreed on, his Sans was very much like an evil version of your brother.” Fell’s voice was clearly tinged with worry. Swap sighed. He understood the worry, but Papyrus had been with them for months now. He hadn’t had an anxiety attack in at least two months, and he hadn’t had a nightmare in over a month. He didn’t react to Sans or Red in any negative way, and if Swap was being honest, he missed his bro.

“Berry’ll make him feel at home. And Red’ll be there to help calm him down if something does go wrong. He has to meet my bro at some point; I love it here, but this isn’t my home.” Swap flinched as Fell turned to him, sockets narrowed in accusation.

“So what you are saying is that you would sacrifice everything we have helped Papyrus get through, the kid who thinks of you as his father, for your own comfort?” Fell was as close to growling as he could get in the quiet store. Swap looked away, slightly ashamed, but shook his head.

“No. If something goes wrong and he freaks out, or relapses, we’ll take him right back. You know I wouldn’t force the kid to do anything he didn’t want to.” Swap still wasn’t looking Fell in the eye, but saw the other nod.

“Fine, we will consider it. But we are going to ask him first. We are going to let him know about Berry before we go, and if he says no, we aren’t going. Well, he and I won’t be. You are free to do as you like.” Swap once again flinched at the insinuation that he didn’t truly care about Papyrus, feeling shame smother his soul.

“I won’t leave him. After the shit he’s been through…there’s no fucking way I could just leave.” Swap looked Fell in the eyes to show his sincerity, and felt relief course through him as Fell smiled, nodding. Well. Looks like they needed to get home.

~.~

Papyrus sat on the couch in the rather warm living room, though the extra warmth may have been from the two blankets and his coat that he wrapped around him. Tale walked through the living room and past the couch, only to pause and stare at him for a moment before speaking.

“Papyrus, why on earth are you in those layers? It’s warm enough, isn’t it?” Papyrus looked up to his kind alternate, the other standing with his hands on his hips as he frowned, confused.

“Sans bet me two bottles of caramel I couldn’t stay in these blankets for ten hours.”

“How long has it been?”

“Twelve. I kinda got comfortable and I don’t really feel like moving. Sans is going to get the caramel now.” Papyrus smiled in glee at his accomplishment as Tale rolled his eyelights, though he was smiling. Shaking his head, Tale continued on to the kitchen, while Papyrus stayed on the couch, huddling further into the rather comfortable trap he had made for himself. Maybe he would never be able to leave, and would die in this comfort. Wouldn’t be a bad way to go; he could think of majorly worse things.

“Kid? Why are you all wrapped up?” Papyrus looked up and found Fell and Swap had returned, Fell with a bag full of books and Swap with two take out bags from Grillby’s. Papyrus’ face lit up at the goodies as he sat up.

“I won a bet. Too comfortable to get out.” Papyrus said simply, only releasing his arms so that he could go through the books Fell had found. Fell stared at him for a moment, before looking at Swap.

“This is all your fault.” Swap just smirked and shrugged, sitting on the floor between the couch and the table to set up their food. Fell rolled his eyelights and sat on the other side of Papyrus, who was ignoring the food for the books he was still looking through.

“C’mon kid, you can read those later, we need to talk about something, but you gotta eat first.” Papyrus nodded, though he looked disappointed to have to put his books aside, his sadness clearly forgotten as Swap pulled a box of Grillby’s homemade cheese fries out for him. They ate fairly quickly, Fell and Swap anxious to talk to Papyrus, Papyrus ready to get back to his books, as good as Grillby’s fries were. Once they were done Fell took care of the trash, Swap settling on the couch with Papyrus in the middle, who was right back to looking through his new books. Fell walked back and settled on the opposite side of the couch.

“Papyrus, you know I have a Sans, right?” Swap asked cautiously. Papyrus put the books back into the bag and on the floor, reading the seriousness in the tone the other used.

“I suppose, yes. Why haven’t I met him yet? Does he not want to meet me?” Swap and Fell were quick to shake their heads, both of them scooting a little closer to him.

“Not at all. Berry really wants to meet you, actually. Its been kinda hard for Red to keep him from coming over here.” Swap laughed.

“Its just…we’ve kinda thought about the similarities between your universe and my own and Fell’s…” Swap paused, as if uncomfortable, Fell picking up the sentence.

“We believe your brother was very much like an evil version of Swap’s.” 

Papyrus looked between the two of them for a moment, a bit confused, before it clicked. Red was like Sans, in a way. So it made sense this “Berry” would be like his brother. But…Swap was nice. Swap was the nicest person he’d met after leaving his world, besides Fell. Wouldn’t Berry also be nice?

“Won’t your Sans be nice? Like you?” Papyrus asked, looking at Swap with apprehension clear in his face. Swap blinked at him for a moment, before a large smile took over his face.

“Berry will be nothing but nice to you. He’s a lot like Tale, for the most part. He would never treat you like your Sans did, I swear.” Swap hugged him tightly, Fell doing the same as Papyrus nodded, though he still looked a tad afraid.

“You don’t have to meet him. Not ever, if you don’t want to. I just wanted to ask.” Papyrus looked into Swap’s sockets for a moment, gauging his words, before he looked back at Fell. Both of them seemed to honestly only want him to do what was comfortable for him. And it seemed Swap did want him to meet his brother…

“Its okay, I can go. If he’s like Tale we should get along okay. Can I bring my books?” Fell laughed as Swap hugged Papyrus again, Papyrus laughing a little.

“Of course, kid.”


	17. Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may be fluffy now...but I promise nothing for the future.
> 
> Enjoy!!
> 
>  
> 
> https://68.media.tumblr.com/55fd1c8c83395397ea36baf3d39ec399/tumblr_inline_ogmtdxKPRs1rq7uyc_540.png
> 
> Look at this beautiful fan art ^^ Papy is the ultimate cinnamon roll.

Sans and Tale offered to come with them, to offer support in the event something went wrong. Papyrus assured them he would be okay, his dads and Red would be there; he also didn’t want to pull them away from their universe, though he didn’t tell them that. So it was decided that Swap and Fell would go with him and Red and Berry would meet them outside the shed, so that Papyrus would have a moment to prepare himself.

Papyrus would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. Truthfully, he was a bit terrified. He had so far only seen versions of his brother that he could easily see the differences of. He thought on this as Swap powered up the machine in Sans’ shed, Sans sitting with him as he waited, Fell doing whatever Swap needed him to. Sans could more than likely feel his nervousness, eventually pulling him into a hug that Papyrus gratefully accepted.

“If it’s too much, you can come right back. No one’s going to be upset with you. And you can come back any time, you know that.” Sans whispered as he essentially held the other, Papyrus trying his hardest to bury his fear. He nodded. He knew how much they all cared about him. While he didn’t understand it at first, mistaking it for what he knew from his past, he knew now they genuinely cared about him. He could only hope Swap’s brother would be the same way.

“We got it ready, kid. You good to go?” Fell called out, he and Swap already in the machine. Papyrus took a deep breath, hugged Sans and Tale, who had just came to say goodbye a few moments before, and walked over to the machine, shuddering for a moment before hopping into the machine. The heavy metal door shut behind him as he settled onto the floor with Fell and Swap, closing his eyes tightly and holding onto the other two’s hands as the machine started up, the roar faintly familiar. Papyrus hunching into himself, accepting the flood of comfort his dad’s poured into the small space. He’d be okay. He’d be okay.

~.~

“You can open your eyes now, Papyrus.” Papyrus nodded, squinting a little at the darkness of the machine before the door popped open with a hiss, light flooding in. Fell and Swap got out first, letting Papyrus take his time, not rushing him. He took a few deep breaths, calming himself how Sans and Red had shown him, finally stepping out of the machine and walking with the other two out of the small shed. Fell waited for Papyrus to give him the okay before opening the door, the light from outside all the brighter as Papyrus caught the almost blinding glint of snow. His breath picked up a little, but he forced himself forward, Swap at his side and Fell leading him out into the snow. Papyrus kept his eyelights down, staring at the ground as he walked, not entirely ready to look up and see his brother’s “good version” just yet. Could he do this? 

“Hey, kid. Missed you.” Papyrus looked up just in time to find Red in front of him, arms out. Papyrus smiled and, as he was taller, pulled Red to his chest. He got the feeling if anyone else did so Red would be uncomfortable or embarrassed, but he had never rejected Papyrus needing a hug. Papyrus breathed in the smell of Snowdin around him. Very clean. Not his universe. Red pulled away after a minute, looking up at him worriedly. Papyrus tilted his head, looking down at himself. He was trembling.

“Papyrus, it’s okay if you can’t do this right now. Berry’ll understand.” Red whispered. Papyrus shook his head.

“I…I c-can do this.” He whispered back before letting go of Red and finally looking up. Fell and Swap were in front of him, both of them looking more than a little worried. Between them was who caught his attention the most.

He was definitely a Sans. With the large sockets, rounded face, and bright blue eyelights, he almost looked like a hyper version of Tale’s Sans. Papyrus could instantly tell the similarities between this Sans and his brother, what with the bandana he wore and the general different air he held from the other Sans he had met. But he didn’t have fangs, and he wasn’t in armor. Papyrus looked him over carefully. This wasn’t his brother. This wasn’t his brother.

Papyrus took a couple steps towards “Berry”, holding himself tightly for a moment, before he gingerly put out his hand.

“Hi...” Papyrus fairly whispered, though it was so quietly tense around them that he was certain the other heard him. Berry looked carefully from his face to his hand and back, before smiling widely and slowly putting out his own hand, gently grasping Papyrus’ and shaking it once.

“Do you…do you mind if I hug you? You look like you need one.” Berry said suddenly, his voice bright but still deep, leaving Papyrus a little lost for words. He wanted to hug him? He thought for a moment, but as Fell, Swap, and Red were all there, he was sure nothing would happen. He gave Fell a meaningful look before looking back at Berry and barely nodding. Berry quietly squealed and fairly leaped forward, knocking Papyrus back a step or two. Papyrus panicked for a moment, sockets scrunching shut in preparation for a blow, but only received two short but strong arms hugging him around his waist. He opened one eye and looked down, finding Berry looking up at him mid-hug, a huge smile on his face and stars for eyelights.

Papyrus smiled back.


	18. M'Lord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for non-con scene at the beginning. Nothing explicit, but I want you all to be safe.
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Papyrus sat at his station, chin rested on his station as he calmly watched the snow fall. This was really the only time of peace he would have all day. Sans would be on his way to “scold him” for being lazy. Even though he told Papyrus himself to stay at his station. These days it didn’t seem like it mattered if he was asleep at his station or not. He was always doing something wrong. If Papyrus wasn’t certain Sans really did love him, he’d have given hope of pleasing him.

“MUTT, YOU HAD BETTER BE AWAKE!” Papyrus looked up, straightening as his brother stomped over. 

“Of course, M’Lord. I have stayed awake the entire time you have been gone.” Papyrus said meekly, honestly proud of his accomplishment. Any sense of accomplishment was torn from his mind as he noticed the look Sans was giving him, the slight sickly-sweet smell permeating the air from his brother’s person. Papyrus stared at him in fear, starting to stand from his station, when Sans smirked and took a hold of his soul, rooting him in place. Papyrus struggled, whimpering in terror as Sans stalked over to him, using his magic to pin Papyrus to the ground.

“Stay still mutt. If you don’t I’ll have to punish you after my heat is taken care of.” Sans whispered, crawling over to Papyrus. Papyrus was already sobbing, whispering no over and over again, trying his hardest to get away, though it never worked. 

“Stay quiet, trash.” Sans growled as Papyrus whimpered in fear. Papyrus closed his eyes. If he didn’t see it, he could pretend it wasn’t happening…that it didn’t happen…

~.~

Papyrus woke up screaming, tears streaming down his face, very reminiscent of his first night with Fell. He curled into himself, sobbing at the nightmare-memory. How many times had his brother used him during his heats? Or even just whenever he felt like it? 

“P-Papyrus? Are you alright?” No. That voice. Papyrus flinched as he looked up. Sans was in front of him, dressed in strange pajamas he had never seen before, but he didn’t notice through his terror.

Papyrus screamed, propelling himself back off the couch and into the floor, pushing into the far wall as he curled into himself. He was back with his brother, he was back at his world. Sans was here, he was going to hurt him, going to use him, going to hurt him, going to use him…

“Papyrus?!” He looked up at the familiar voice, eyelights absent in his terror, confused. He was back, Fell shouldn’t be here, would M’Lord kill him?!

“P-please, p-p-please don’t k-kill him, please M-m’Lord…”

“IF YOU WANTED ME TO NOT KILL THEM, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE BROUGHT THEM HERE, YOU STUPID WASTE OF LIFE!” Papyrus flinched at the voice, looking up to find Sans once again standing before him, evil smirk on his face, whip in one hand the other using magic to hold him in place. Papyrus looked around and found several piles of dust on the floor surrounding them. He broke down, screaming and sobbing openly. Sans began laughing at him, before cracking the whip in the air.

“I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME, MUTT.” Papyrus continued crying, his soul feeling as though it was tearing in half with his sorrow. How could he have let this happen? Why couldn’t he just be happy? Papyrus closed his sockets as Sans walked forward, drawing back the whip. He heard the whistle of the long black coil flying through the air and braced.

~.~

“Wake up, kid! You’re safe, he’s not here, I promise.” 

Papyrus jerked awake. He felt arms on him and almost went into a panic when the one’s holding him released a wave of soothing magic in his bones. Fell and Swap. They were here, they were alive, it was a nightmare…

“Please d-don’t leave m-me…” Papyrus whimpered, holding them both closer to himself. 

“Never.” Fell whispered, Swap backing him with a burst of protective, love fueled magic. Papyrus continued to cry into their shoulders, haunted by the visions he had seen. It was only a nightmare, only a nightmare…

“Brother? Is he?” Papyrus jerked at the voice, looking up in fear, but sighing relieved as he took notice of who this particular Sans was. It was Berry. Not his brother. That was who he had seen before…not his Sans.

“He’ll be okay, Berry. Please go back to bed, I’ll help you make breakfast in the morning.” Fell called quietly, watching as Berry nodded and quickly made his way back up the steps. Papyrus had calmed down enough to realize in his panic induced delirium he had in fact ended up on the floor and in the corner of the room.

“Do you need help getting back to the couch?” Swap asked, one hand already under his shoulder. Papyrus noticed his shaking limbs and nodded, letting his dads gently pull him to his feet before leading him back to his makeshift bed.

“We’ll sleep with you down here for tonight, alright? We can think of something different in the morning.” Fell whispered, Swap already getting comfortable with some blankets he had ported from upstairs. Fell smiled to Papyrus, laying him down and tucking him in. “Get some more sleep, kid. We’ll be right here.” Papyrus nodded, yawning a little before closing his eyes. They would protect him. Sans wasn’t here. With those thoughts in his mind, Papyrus slipped back into sleep.


	19. Explanations and Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!

The next couple days were a bit of a blur, for Papyrus at least. Fell and Swap caught up with their brothers, Swap especially so as he had not seen Berry since he had first gone to Fell’s universe. Papyrus had often seen Swap on his phone, sending messages back and forth to someone; now that he really thought about it, it made sense that he would be in contact with his brother. Now that Papyrus saw how brothers were really supposed to be, he wondered what had happened to bring him and his own Sans to the state they were in. Had something terrible happened in their past; something that scarred his brother and forced him to be as cruel as he was? Had Papyrus done some wrong? 

Papyrus found himself wondering these things as he helped Berry clean the kitchen after dinner. Berry had been a bit shocked he had never tried tacos before, yelling at Swap as he rushed around gathering ingredients. Papyrus found the excitable version of Sans amusing as he rushed to and fro throughout the kitchen. One look at Swap told him he felt the same way. But now Papyrus was standing at the sink, a dish in one hand, a cloth in the other. Was it his fault his brother was evil?

“Papyrus? Are you okay?” He startled, Berry’s voice bringing him out of his head. He turned to find the small, excitable Sans staring up at him, worry clear in his eyelights. Papyrus shook his head slightly before returning to washing the dishes, a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just…thinking…” Papyrus was quiet for a moment, before he realized Berry hadn’t moved to continue what he was doing. He turned once again and found bright blue eyelights staring up at him searchingly.

“What are you thinking about? You look very worried about something. You can talk to me if it would make you feel better.” He sounded genuine…and as Swap’s brother, Papyrus had learned to trust him. So he sat, arms propped on the table and talked. He talked to Berry about how he lived before, with his own Sans. He told him about the night his Sans had beat him, broke him, and renounced them being brothers. He recounted his journey through the forest, bleeding, battered, and hopeless, until he collapsed, afraid he had simply doubled back, would die alone in the cold; until Fell rescued him.

Berry hung on every word, smiling as Papyrus told him of his stay first in Fell’s universe, then in Sans’. He giggled as Papyrus described the different milkshakes Grillby would make him. And he looked stricken as Papyrus told him his fears. That it was somehow his fault that his Sans hated him.

“Papyrus, listen to me for a second, please?” It was phrased as a request, not a command. Papyrus still looked up attentively. “None of this was your fault. I can promise you that. Nothing you could have done would have ever warranted what your bastard of a brother did to you.” Berry paused, as though a bit ashamed he had cursed. Papyrus smiled, though his eyelights betrayed his thoughts. Berry could see he did not completely believe him, and so took drastic measures. He walked forward, directly in front of Papyrus, and held out his hands.

“Papyrus, please give me your hands.” He did so without question, though he watched with a bit of apprehension as Berry took his large in his own small ones.

“There is absolutely nothing you could do to make me want to hurt you. Not me, or Fell, or my brother. Not Sans, or Tale. Do you think we could ever want to hurt you? Have we ever done anything to make you think that?” Sans asked honestly, not a hint of anger in his voice. Papyrus thought back to every minute of the life he lead now, with his dad’s and their alternates, with the different versions of his brother. Not a single one of them had ever done anything to hurt him, not one of them had ever made him think he did something that deserved some form of punishment, like what his own brother had done.

“No.” Papyrus whispered, tears in his sockets. “No. You haven’t. But…but if it wasn’t my fault, then why?” Berry looked at him with tears in his own sockets, a sad smile on his face.

“I don’t know. But it wasn’t your fault. And you didn’t deserve it.” Berry wiped away his tears, as Papyrus smiled a small smile of his own. Maybe he was right. Maybe it wasn’t his fault, and maybe he hadn’t deserved any of it. 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Papyrus returned to the sink, smiling brightly as Berry hopped back to work. He was a bit surprised to feel two pairs of hands gently take hold of his shoulders and turn him around, two pairs of arms enveloping him. He squeaked a little in surprise as two more, albeit smaller pairs of arms surrounded him, leaving him very much so boxed in. 

Looked around he found both of his dad’s, Red and Berry, who had apparently saw the hug pile and couldn’t resist. He smiled, though he was a bit confused.

“Why the hug?” he asked quietly, trying not to move in case they thought he didn’t like the hug. Fell chuckled and backed away a bit, the other three still holding onto him.

“We…may have heard your story that you told Berry. I’m so sorry you went through that, Papyrus. But, like Berry said, it is not your fault.” Papyrus tilted his head. They had heard him? He looked to the doorway of the kitchen. They must have been right behind the wall for him to not see them. The visual of his dad’s hiding behind the wall, listening to him put a large smile on his face. He giggled, then laughed, his frame shaking slightly as he laughed until he was breathless. Swap and Red both backed away a little to give him confused smiles, but he didn’t bother to explain it.

He was just happy to be home.


	20. His Sans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are winding down. Got a guest appearance for you guys :D
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Papyrus hummed a little, slightly off tune to whatever Berry was singing, but he was sure the little Sans didn’t mind. The two of them walked along through town, their arms full of paper bags from the store, the two of them on a grocery run since Fell and Swap needed to clean up the mess they made in the kitchen having a food fight. Blue had refrained from yelling, though he got onto them both until they were sufficiently guilty, at least for Berry to see. Papyrus had laughed harder than he remembered having done so in a while as his dads’ threw handfuls of food at each other, Swap making puns the entire time, though every pun was rewarded with a face-full of shredded lettuce or sour cream.

The two of them stopped singing as they reached the house, Papyrus dutifully knocking the snow off his shoes before walking inside and setting his bags on the kitchen table, which had been dutifully cleaned off, all the food from that morning put away. He smiled as Berry marched around him, setting his own bags down with a loud crinkle before giving the room a once over, one brow raised as he passed judgement on Fell and Swap’s cleaning skills. Finding it acceptable, Berry gave a sage nod that Papyrus couldn’t help but snicker lightly at, though he stopped as soon as Berry gave him a look, though he couldn’t hide his smile.

“Well, I suppose they did alright. Let’s put the food up and go find those two numbskulls.” Blue said as he began unbagging items, bright smile on his face as he began singing once again to some tune Papyrus had never heard, but enjoyed anyways. He joined in with his humming, helping to put everything away until Berry shooed him from the kitchen, settling on the couch and flipping on the TV. He still felt a little uncomfortable when sitting on the couch or at the table with the others at times, just random, fleeting feelings from his life before. He felt more at peace than he had in years with Fell, Swap, Red and Berry. But sometimes he would get a small, quickly gone thought that something was wrong.

**_BANG!_ **

Papyrus sat up completely in his seat as something crashed to the floor of the kitchen, one of the large pots by the sound of it. The sound was not accompanied by Berry scrambling to pick it up, which set his nerves on edge. He was on his feet and across the living room without a thought, almost running into the kitchen in his fear for his small friend.

Berry was standing at the counter, phone shaking slight in his hands as he stared at the screen, a blank look on his face. Papyrus stopped for a moment, fear and confusion whipping through his soul. He took a deep breath before continuing across the kitchen to Berry, who still hadn’t looked up at him. Just as he managed to get close enough to see the phone screen Berry startled and looked up at him, hiding the phone against his chest. Papyrus titled his head as the small Sans forced a smile and started picking the pots he had knocked over back up.

“What’s wrong, Berry?” he asked, refusing to drop the subject, not when his friend had such a horrified look on his face. Berry looked up to him, obvious lie on his teeth before Papyrus crossed his arms. He looked away, frowning with a sad tilt, before finally just handing over his phone. Papyrus hesitated before taking it, giving Berry a final inquisitive look before looking down at the screen. It only took a moment for his sockets to fly open, the force making them crack a little as he dropped the phone and ran out of the kitchen, out of the house, and down the path to Snowdin Forest.

 

~.~

 

He breathed heavily as he finally ran into the clearing just before the last sentry station, his eyelights falling first on the backs of Red, Fell, and Swap, who were all in a defensive formation, attacking someone before them with all that they had. Papyrus could feel the killing intent in the magic charged air, the feeling crackling all around him in an almost tangible way. It was when an errant bone, sharp and jagged, meant for killing, hit Swap in the femur, making him loose a cry of agony, that Papyrus ran forward once more, catching Swap as he fell and looking up at who they were attacking. He felt his soul go cold at the sight, the text he had read from Swap to Berry indeed correct.

His Sans was here.


	21. Save Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trust me

Papyrus knelt in the snow, arms wrapped carefully Swap who was trying his hardest to stay conscious. He knew his dad had low HP; that hit should have killed him. Instead Swap was trying to get up, trying to fight off Papyrus’ brother.

There he stood, by himself in the snow, whip in one hand, the other commanding jagged bones that were all aimed at Fell and Red for the moment. Papyrus took in the full sight of his brother. Nothing had changed. Still the torn, dust covered uniform. Still the rough scar over his right socket, no doubt deeper from the fights his brother had to have been in, since he had left his world. Papyrus felt the old fear return, the old, deeply rooted horror of his brother returning to his soul. He trembled where he knelt, Swap finally stopping his struggle to check on him as his bones began to rattle.

“Paps? Ah, shit.” Papyrus felt as Swap finally sat up, wrapping his arms around him, his magic surrounding them both in an obvious attempt to take a short cut, probably back to the house. When he realized this, he pulled away, leaving Swap to port without him, sockets wide. Papyrus hoped he wouldn’t have enough magic to port back.

He stood to his feet, arms wrapped tightly around himself as he took shaky steps to where Fell and Red stood, nimbly dodging without moving much. He watched the fight for a moment, before his eyelights began to glow a dark orange, magic coming off him in waves. He lifted his hand and locked the two brothers in place, tears falling from his sockets as they looked at him in incredulity, their own magic useless.

“THAT’S MY GOOD MUTT. HOLD THEM STILL WHILE I FINISH THIS UP AND MAYBE I WON’T BREAK ALL YOUR RIBS OFF WHEN WE GET BACK.” Papyrus met eyes with his brother, and watched as Sans looked away and rose several bone attacks, all sharp and deadly. Within a blink he was in front of them, between his brother and his family.

“Don’t h-hurt them, p-lease. I’ll g-go with you, just…” Papyrus refused to look up and greet his brother’s no doubt furious gaze for his disobedience, but to his surprise he felt Sans’ magic wane, before disappearing entirely. Small, crunching footsteps were taken towards him, stopping just before his own feet. 

“YOU CARE FOR THEM, DON’T YOU.” Papyrus didn’t answer. “OF COURSE. HOW WEAK AND PATHETIC. VERY WELL, BUT YOU WILL BE PUNISHED HARSHLY FOR YOUR LACK OF OBEDIENCE AS PAYMENT. KNOCK THEM OUT.” Papyrus heard Fell and Red cry out behind him, begging him to stop, to let them go. That they would save him, he didn’t have to go back. He turned to them and smiled, tears pooled in his sockets. He rose two long, heavy bones and hit them just hard enough to knock them both out, long enough for he and Sans to leave. He…wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if they were killed trying to protect him. And he knew, if he hadn’t intervened, Sans would have killed them, with no hesitation.

As their bodies slumped to the snow, Sans clucked his tongue behind him and Papyrus turned, face impassive as he followed his brother down the path to the forest. He had saved them. That was all that mattered.


	22. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has been a long journey, and I thank all of you who have stuck it out since the beginning. I also thank all of the people who came in the middle or who just started reading it. This will always be one of my babies, but all good things must come to an end. 
> 
> I hope this ending is enjoyable and satisfactory. This is what I planned, and I am happy with it. Thank you all again for your support and love for the characters ^^
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanart for this chapter :DDDD 
> 
> https://queenofbiscuits.tumblr.com/post/161294517199/fanart-for-caramel-and-sugar-ddddd

Snow began to fall as Papyrus followed Sans though the forest, his footsteps crunching lightly through the silence. Sans had not spoken a word to him since they had reached a certain distance from the main path. He knew how angry he was, as his magic, though sedated, was still a tangible presence around him, warning Papyrus’ own magic against forming. Papyrus knew better than to attack his brother like this; or attack him at all. Monsters who attacked his brother never survived the attempt. 

Papyrus looked up to the canopy above him, the pine needles thickly woven together this deep in Snowdin Forest. He almost smiled at the beauty of it. In that moment, he remembered the first day he had been in Sans and Tale’s universe. The vastness of the sky, deep blue and utterly limitless. The trees and flowers and animals he had never seen before. He remembered the friendship he made with Grillby, helping him with the new ideas for desserts he wanted to try. He remembered the first few weeks he stayed in Fell and Red’s home, terrified out of his mind, believing he had new masters that would treat him as his brother had. Meeting Swap for the first time. Meeting Red for the first time.

Papyrus felt his sockets well with un-shed tears, his throat clenched as his soul filled with pain at the thought of what he must do. As soon as he had stood between his brother and Fell and Red, he had formed a plan in his mind. To protect them, to really keep them safe; there was only one course of action. Sans would not keep his word. He had lied to Papyrus before, when he would beg him to spare something he had taken a fancy to. Like the small, fluff covered dog Papyrus had grown to look forward to seeing at his station, even taking food from home for it. That was more than likely how his brother had discovered its presence in the first place, when he thought on it later. Papyrus had begged for its life, had taken extra punishment if only his brother would spare it.

Sans had agreed. Papyrus had been broken. And not a week later the dog was left hanging from the roof of his sentry station, shaved and beaten. He knew Sans would come here again and kill them all, if only because Papyrus asked him to not kill them. If only to spite his brother.

Papyrus knew what he had to do. It would hurt, it would hurt more than anything he had ever done, ever been through. If they were to live, he would have to take action, put away his fear.

“HERE WE ARE, MUTT. I HAD UNDYNE OPEN A PORTAL IN THIS SPACE, USE YOUR MAGIC TO OPEN IT.” Papyrus did as told, his left eyelight sparking with bright, unbridled orange light. A small portal became visible after a moment, white and sparking violent magic into the nearby trees, leaving bright scars. Papyrus stared at the portal for a moment before steeling himself. He knew what he had to do. 

“Brother?” Papyrus schooled his face into a fear-rattled, tear streaked mess, his bones trembling, vulnerability strong in his demeanor. Sans turned and looked to him, a disgusted scowl stretched across his skull. 

“WHAT?” Sans snapped, clearly ready to go through the portal and get his wayward pet home. Papyrus moved quickly, kneeling at his brother’s feet, his arms wrapped around his brother’s torso. He had done such before, as an attempt to lessen Sans’ anger; it had never worked, but it was something Papyrus had always hoped would eventually win over his brother. Sans went stock still at the gesture, beginning to snarl at him about just how angry he was, just how much trouble Papyrus was in, and had begun to push Papyrus away when Papyrus pulled him close, using the strength he had never had cause to use before.

“Brother, I always had hope for you. I always loved you, and I truly wish I knew what went wrong.” Papyrus took a deep breath before continuing, his voice a pained whisper. “Maybe it would have prevented this.” Sans gasped as Papyrus held him down with magic, a pale orange surrounding them both. Papyrus summoned a single, sharp tipped bone in his hand, hugged his brother tightly, and thrust the weapon into his brother’s soul.

~.~

Fell walked into the living room of the house on the surface he shared with Swap and Papyrus, the three of them deciding to stay there rather than in Fell’s home universe. They would have stayed in Swap’s, but once Red and Berry got married they all agreed it was only fair for the two Sanses to have their space.

It had been two years to the day that Papyrus had left with his brother, left Fell and Red to assume he was gone, only to come back with a jagged bone in his hands and dust on his jacket, silent as the grave. He still refused to talk about it, even to Grillby who had hired him to work in his bar. They never pushed him on the subject, knowing instinctively how painful it must be for him. Papyrus had all the support the rest of them could give him, all the love they had in their souls.

He looked to the couch and found the kid curled up in the corner, sockets looking off vacantly. He sighed and sat on the opposite end, holding his arms out. Papyrus blinked as he entered his field of view, then scooted over and curled into his side, sighing a little.

“You know I love you, kiddo. Right?” Fell asked, laying his skull on top of the other’s. Papyrus looked up at him and smiled, his innocence, despite his past, shining in his eyelights.

“I know. I love you too.” Fell smiled at the honesty and held his adopted son closer to his chest, closing his eyes.

He woke up again hours later, only to find Papyrus peacefully asleep in his arms, Swap curled up against his other side. He didn’t think he could get any happier than this. Even with the demons of his past, Papyrus had brought them closer as a family, all of them, than they had ever been before.

They each had their darkness. They each had their light. But they had each other. And that was all that mattered.


End file.
